Jerry Charles Young II, the next campus ambassador at Arkansas Tech University, will be introduced to the public during a ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 10.
The event will take place at 5 p.m. on the Crabaugh Hall lawn as part of tailgating in advance of the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys’ home football game at 6 p.m. that evening. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved inside the Hull Building Student Union. All are invited.
“This is an exciting transition as we welcome a new member of the Arkansas Tech University family,” said Dr. Keegan Nichols, ATU vice president for student affairs. “We invite all ATU students, faculty, staff and alumni as well as our community supporters to see Jerry II for the first time on Sept. 10 and be overwhelmed by the inevitable cuteness.”
Jerry Charles Young II, who is an English bulldog, will formally take office as ATU campus ambassador on Saturday, Oct. 1. During the three weeks between his introduction and his start date, members of the university community and beyond will have the opportunity to track his preparation for the job by following him on the official @arkansastechjerry Instagram and Facebook accounts for the ATU campus ambassador program.
Jerry Charles Young I, who helped restore an Arkansas Tech tradition that had been lost for 76 years when he was introduced as ATU campus ambassador on Oct. 26, 2013, will retire as of Saturday, Oct. 1.
“Jerry Charles Young I recently turned 9 years old,” said Nichols. “He has given our university nearly a decade of exemplary service, and we owe it to him to provide him with the opportunity to enjoy the spoils of retirement. We love him and look forward to celebrating him during this transition period.”
The story of Jerry the Bulldog dates back to the original Jerry, who was a daily part of life at Arkansas Tech in the mid-1930s.
He was owned by William O. Young, who oversaw the business affairs of Arkansas Tech as secretary and bursar from 1917-41 and acted as interim president of the college from 1923-25; and his son, Robert A. Young Sr., who grew up to serve as purchasing agent, business manager, vice president for business affairs and vice president for administration and finance at Arkansas Tech from 1941-84 as well as interim president in 1972. Dr. Robert A. Young Jr. has continued his family’s Tech tradition by serving as president of the Arkansas Tech Foundation and as a loyal supporter of ATU athletics.
The original Jerry spent much of his time on campus at the armory (later known as the Stroupe Building) with National Guard Battery F. The students and guardsmen there adopted Jerry as one of their own.
An article from the Feb. 26, 1936, issue of the Arka Tech student newspaper stated that Jerry was “always present at anything of importance at the armory,” which was a social center of campus at that time and the site of Arkansas Tech home basketball games.
When the original Jerry passed away in late 1937, the headline in the Arka Tech proclaimed “Campus Loses Mascot in Passing of Jerry.”
Today, Jerry the Bulldog attends a variety of campus events and alumni gatherings as well as Wonder Boys and Golden Suns athletic competitions. In keeping with the original Jerry’s connection to the armed services, Jerry is escorted to many of his official functions by students from the Arkansas Tech U.S. Army ROTC program.
ATU alumnus Dr. Heath Stump and Dr. Jennifer Heim of Russellville Animal Clinic provide veterinary care for the campus ambassador program.
Creature Comforts, owned by Betsy and Noel Snyder, provides for campus ambassador boarding needs. Betsy is the great-granddaughter of William O. Young.
Heather and Sam Strasner and their son, Seth, are day-to-day caretakers for Jerry Charles Young I and Jerry Charles Young II.
Learn more about Jerry the Bulldog at www.atu.edu/jerry.
