The Spirit of Portland U
Wally Pilot came to life in 1948, when Nolan Drurey ’49, lured by a grand prize of five boxes of Chesterfield cigarettes, entered a Beacon mascot-design contest and first drew the bewhiskered river pilot. . . . Records are foggy about SPU’s animation, but the 1953 Log reported that the University fraternity Upsilon Omega Pi “spent 70 hours building a paper-mache head.”
from, Christine Fundak Rohan, I Was Wally Pilot,
Portland Magazine, Winter 1998
From the 1950s to 1993, the members of Upsilon Omega Pi fraternity were Wally’s caretakers and wore the Wally Pilot head and rain gear at sports and other University events. In his early years, Wally Pilot was known as the Spirit of Portland U or SPU. As he integrated into campus life, SPU was most often a willing participant in Homecoming displays created by student organizations in the 1950s and 60s. Wally Pilot also graced the cover of campus directories and Pilot student guides for a period of years. Through the decades, Wally’s face underwent several makeovers with the latest in the 1980’s. In 1978 University president, Rev. Paul Waldschmidt, C.S.C., declared February 13-17 as Wally Pilot week with his 30th birthday celebration on February 16. When fraternities and sororities disbanded on campus in the early 1990s, Wally’s head, rain gear, and boots were given to the University Museum where they are on display today. In 1993, a more friendly, healthy, and modern Wally Pilot was unveiled but to mixed reviews by students and alumni. Wally Pilot took a few years off and underwent a complete renovation and emerged in 2009 as a taller and more physically fit Wally (with six-pack abs), entertaining spectators at athletic venues and through his own Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/WallyPilot?fref=ts.
