| "What
is a Nittany Lion?" The most frequently asked question about Penn
State University is answered definitively for the first time in this
beautifully illustrated book. Penn State librarians Jackie Esposito
and Steven Herb have devoted hundreds of hours of research to uncover
the fascinating and colorful history behind the beloved Penn State
icon.
Elements of the tale include the tragic legend of Indian Princess
Nita-nee, for whom the majestic mountain in Central Pennsylvania
is named; the story of the Original Nittany Lion, the elusive mountain
lion that once roamed the hills of Pennsylvania; the 1904 Penn State
baseball game at Princeton University, where the idea of a school
mascot was born; the creation of the famous limestone Nittany Lion
Shrine on Penn State's University Park campus; and the "Men in the
Suit," the many Penn State students who have played the role of
the Nittany Lion Mascot. This tale is also the story of many important
figures in Penn State and Pennsylvania history, including folklorist
Henry Shoemaker, baseball player and student leader H. D. "Joe"
Mason, sculptor Heinz Warneke, famous mascot Norm Constantine, and
football coaching legends "Rip" Engle and Joe Paterno.
Sure to be of interest to Penn State's 340,000 living alumni and
the countless numbers of Nittany Lion fans all over the world, this
book will also appeal to folklorists and Pennsylvania historians. |
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