In Praise of the Demon Deacon

In this Issue:

• National Mascot Day – and how we got the Demon Deacon
• What’s been happening at The Grounds?
• Rocky Hansen finishes as National Runner-Up, earns First Team All-American honors in Men’s 5000 meters

Today is apparently National Mascot Day, and as such we want to celebrate our very own Demon Deacon. There’s no other college mascot quite like him.

National Mascot Day – and how we got the Demon Deacon

Did you know the backstory of the Demon Deacon? If not, our Traditions website has the story:

“Wake Forest athletic teams were originally known as the ‘Baptists’ or ‘The Old Gold and Black.’ However, in 1922, the editor of the school newspaper, Mayor Parker who graduated in 1924, created the alliteration ‘Demon Deacons’ to describe a major defeat over Trinity (now Duke).

When Wake Forest College’s publicity director, Henry Belk, began incorporating the nickname into his press releases, newspapers from around the country started to proclaim the success of the Demon Deacons. Then, in 1941, Jack Baldwin (’43) was dared by a few of his fraternity brothers to dress up as a Demon Deacon for an athletic contest. Baldwin decided to dress in a dignified combination of top hat and tails and proceeded to ride into the athletic match on a Carolina Ram, umbrella in hand.

For the Wake Forest fandom, it was love at first sight. There are some things at Wake Forest that are absolutely unique. The only mascot of its kind, the familiar spirited figure in top hat and tails on the sidelines at every game, is one of them.”

Learn more about Wake Forest’s traditions.

What’s Been Happening at The Grounds?

I drive by the construction site for The Grounds a lot – and it is amazing to watch the skyline change and see all the changes that are happening. There was a recent Instagram post about The Grounds and all that is planned there. It is easier to envision via the pictures in the post, but select highlights include:

• A redesigned University Parkway and Cherry Street intersection
• A 13 foot wide, 1.5 mile loop multi-use trail
• 70% of the Retail Village has been leased (think local coffee, fitness experiences, fine dining, and more)
• Many gathering areas to make use of the beautiful outdoors and the restored Silas Creek

The whole complex is taking shape beautifully. I can’t wait for all our students and families to see how far The Grounds has come by move-in this August.

Rocky Hansen Finishes as National Runner-Up, Earns First Team All-American Honors in Men’s 5000 Meters

I’m a few days late in congratulations here, but let’s all give a big Go Deacs! to our very own Rocky Hansen, who was the National runner up in the Men’s 5000 meters.

“The Hendersonville, N.C., native recorded a time of 13:39.91 to secure his third career All-American honor and second consecutive First Team All-American honor.” Read the full story.