SPU/Wally Pilot at 75

Wally Pilot is 75 years old this year!

In honor of Wally’s milestone birthday, the 2023 First-Year and Sophomore Family Weekend featured selections from our collection of Wally/Spirit of Portland U (SPU) memorabilia. The entrance of Clark Library was turned into a University Museum gallery space to display the different faces of Wally/SPU over the years. The current Wally Pilot made an appearance to check out the previous incarnations of Wally, in addition posing for photos with Family Weekend attendees, staff, and library patrons.

Though Wally Pilot (originally Spirit of Portland U or SPU until the mid-1970s) does not have an official birthdate, The Beacon announced Wally’s 30th birthday celebration during Wally Pilot Week, February 13-17, 1978. In the years after, Wally’s birthday has been celebrated around these dates.

UP’s much-loved mascot has grown fitter and trimmer through various iterations (haven’t we all?), altering in size and aspect (molded in paper-mache, plastic, foam); always a symbol of confident purpose. The winner of a mascot-design competition in 1948 the Spirit of Portland U (SPU) became “Wally”, an identifier and emblem of campus vitality, appearing in full-sized mascot costume for sporting and University events, with the status of both host and guest at Homecomings and Reunions ever since. We write about Wally’s evolution in an earlier post, here: https://sites.up.edu/museum/?s=wally+pilot

Wally’s 75th birthday celebration continues this summer at the University’s All-Alumni Reunion. The retired Wallys’ regular home is the Museum Heritage Room, 014 Shipstad Hall, where the various headpieces are displayed year-round.