Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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PETA Gamecock’s history not about cruelty CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 term from the sport of cockfighting. “While cockfighting is illegal in South Carolina, gamecocks are not,” he said. Palms also pointed out that, over the centuries, many cultures have associated the gamecock with “diligence, wake fulness, defiance, and vigilance.” The gamecock was first used af ter USC upset Clemson in a 1902 football game. As a show of school pride, students paraded the streets with a banner depicting a gamecock standing over a dead tiger. Two weeks later, The State newspaper began referring to the school as the “Game Cocks,” and the name stuck. Now, almost 100 years later, PETA wants to overthrow this long-standing tradition. “Tradition never justifies cru elty,” Kelly said. “If it did, we’d still have slavery in this country. The bottom line is that most people as ing. That is a violent, bloody and in fact illegal tradition that has no business being associated with the fair play of sports.” Kerry Tharpe, sports information director, disagrees. “I think they are stretching things,” he said of PETA. “I think it’s one of the more unique nicknames in college athletics. We are the only Division I-A school with the nickname ‘Gamecocks,’ and I think it describes the passion and enthusiasm that our teams and fans try to exhibit.” Tharpe said that when football head coach Lou Holtz was asked about the prospect of losing the school mascot, he said, “These types of decisions need to be made by the administration and not the football coach.” Two years ago, there was a dif ferent push to rename the school mascot to avoid the so-called “chick en curse.” At the time, USC was in the middle of the country’s longest losing streak. But, the plan was abandoned after the 2000 season. I Open Mon. - Sat. 11:00 to 6:00 Friday 11:00 to 8:00 Hwy 1* Augusta fid "Lexington. SC (803) 996-0704 Complete line of Jewelry-Wolf tanning* Knives & Swords Tobacco Products*Papers & Screens*Incense & Cool STUFF! ^-STERLING SILVER SLIDES-^ low prices on u&o Flags, License Plates, Magnetic signs, Visors, Rain Ponchos,T-shirts & Decals | • Large selection of USC j Gamecock Caps<$6 w th this coupon) J j • USA Flag Lapel Pin $.75 j (with this coupon-limit 5 pins) | 765.0818 » Corner of Lady & Assembly St. (2 blks. from Capitol) . TAMEC#CK Laibafc - . t 50 Wings $19.99 100 Wings $37.99 Vista • 256-8844 Available all game Saturdays thru Nov. 17th Letter from USC President John Palms to Kristie Phelps of PETA Dear Ms. Phelps: This morning, I received your letter requesting that the University of South Carolina (USC) abandon its Gamecock mascot. For. near ly 100 years, the University has celebrated the virtues of the Gamecock as its mascot, and we will continue to do so for as long as. we are the University of South Carolina. Because your letter im plies disgust with the Gamecock itself, I hope you will allow me the opportunity to provide some information about the Gamecock and its association with South Carolina and the University. The ancient Syrians worshiped the fighting cock as one of their deities. In China, the gamecock is considered the herald of mortal ex istence and a symbol of honor, merit, and the west. In ancient Greece, the gamecock was the announcer of the sun and was considered sa t/ CU OCUiltot U/ (lO VWI*I ugt, oru», unu *'*• Germany and Hungary, the gamecock is still considered a weather prophet. Over the centuries, such noble attributes have been asso ciated with the gamecock as diligence, wakefulness, defiance, and vigilance. It seems the “Gamecock" name was first associated with USC athletics teams in 1902. That year, USC upset Clemson (our in-state athletics rival), and Carolina students paraded through the streets near campus carrying a transparency that had been hanging in a lo cal store window. The transparency, drawn by USC mathematics Professor F. Horton Colcock, featured the image of a gamecock standing over a fallen tiger. Two weeks later, The State newspaper began referring to the USC team as the “Game Cocks. "By 1904, the two words had been joined and the name had stuck. A possible source for the first link between the University of South Carolina and the gamecock mascot lies with a nickname of a leg endary military leader from South Carolina, Thomas Sumter. During the War for Independence, Sumter energized South Carolina in its fight against the British. In his preferred hat, coat, and epaulettes, Sumter donned the colors of the gamecock, and he was well-known for his fearlessness in battle. British officers commonly scorned Sumter as the “South Carolina Game Cock, ” but South Carolinians were proud of his daunting spirit. Letters and other records indicate that by the 1840s, South Carolinians were prais ing Sumter as the “South Carolina Game Cock. "Perhaps his nick name inspired Professor Colcock as he depicted the USC victory over Clemson. As you can see, South Carolina and the Gamecock have a history that incorporates far more than the sport of cockfighting. While cockfighting is illegal in South Carolina, gamecocks are not. The University of South Carolina is proud to be known as the Fighting Gamecocks, and we will remain so for many years to come. Sincerely, John M. Palms They were trying to blame our losses on something,” Cocky said. “They eventually went away.” Student opinion of PETA’s proposition hasn’t been positive. “I think they are way too PC,” said third-year journalism major Jason Bailey speaking about —■— '".I'"-1 feta, it tney ata cnange it, what would that change in PETA’s view? It wouldn’t change any kind of reaction or anything.” First-year finance student Jordan Broggi said: “It’9 not like we’re actually having cockfights here. I love the gamecocks, and I don’t think we should change it.” PETA plans to send a re sponse to Palms by Monday. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com. .*...- PI®j «J k‘ l y | mmPHIMR KH HiW ' c STATE BRIEFS Mother of killed son sues N. Charleston CHARLESTON - The family of a man shot and killed a year ago by two North Charleston police officers has sued the city and the four men charged with attacking him. Parthinea Snowden says dispatchers failed to tell the officers that her son, Edward Snow-den, a black man, was attacked by four white men. Snowden, 35, who had fired a warning shot prior to the officers’ arrival, had a gun in his hand when police shot him in a video store. The wrongful death and criminal negligent lawsuit says Snowden, who was hand cuffed after he was shot, died before officers allowed the emergency medical crew into the store to help him. The suit seeks $600,000 from the city and $10 million from the men who attacked Snowden. Trucks to face new restrictions on road FORT MILL - Tractor trailers will be restricted to the two right-hand lanes on the state’s widest interstates under a rule approved by the state Transportation Department Commission. The new rule will not go into effect until new signs are installed alerting drivers of the rules, probably by early 2002. The state will study where to implement the program next. Likely candidates are inter states in urban counties with three lanes of traffic in each direction. That could include 50 miles of interstate in Richland, 22 miles in Charleston and 23 miles in Spartanburg. The rule limits lane chan ges by truck drivers and cuts down on risky maneuvers by vehicles trying to squeeze between trucks, State Traffic Operations Engineer Don Turner said. NAr [ON br: sfs Calif, eases laws on morning-after pills SACRAMENTO — California v will let pharmacists dispense emergency contraceptive pills without a prescription, becoming the second state to do so. The new law, which has no age limit, was signed Sunday by Gov. Gray Davis and takes effect Jan. 1. The so-called morning-after pill is a high dose of birth control pills taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy. Opponents say the law lets pharmacists act beyond their training. Washington state has a similar law. Eleven other states considered bills related to emergency contraception this vear. Passengers prevent hijacking of bus SALT LAKE CITY - Passen gers on a Greyhound bus over powered a hijacker who grabbed the steering wheel and threatened to flip the vehicle, authorities said. The man and a woman ac complice fled after the driver safely stopped the bus. No one was injured. Troopers arrested suspects Troy Matzek, 34, and Becky Hyde, 25, of Wichita, Kan., ear ly Thursday, said Highway Patrol Sgt. Daniel Fuhr. The unarmed couple gave them selves up at a downtown Salt Lake City truck stop. They were booked into jail on charges of attempted theft of a motor vehicle, a misde meanor, and terrorist threats, a felony. Because the bus was traveling between states, they also could face federal charges, said Doug McCleve, spokesman for the Utah Highway Patrol. Authorities described the in cident as an attempted hijack ing. I WORLD BRIEFS Winnie Mandela charged with fraud PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA - Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the controversial ex-wife of former President Nelson Mandela, was arrested Thursday and charged with 85 counts of fraud and theft involving more than $100,000. The charges stem from an alleged scam to'obtain bank loans for nonexistent employees of the African National Congress Women’s League. Madikizela Mandela is the president of the league and a member of Parliament. She was charged with 60 counts of fraud involving $103,605 and with 25 counts of theft involving $1,040 that was supposed to have been deposited in a funeral insurance plan. iMorcnern ireiana coalition collapses BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND — Northern Ireland’s, largest Protestant party announced Thursday it was resigning from the province’s unity government, a move designed to force Britain to indefinitely suspend the troubled experiment in Catholic Protestant cooperation. Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble, who precipitated the crisis by resigning in July as the government’s leader, said his party had spent 18 months operating a coalition that included militant Catholics from Sinn Fein - but the party’s Irish Republican Army allies had failed to meet their end of the bargain by disarming. Under terms of the law governing how Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government operates, it cannot survive without the participation of either the Ulster Unionists or the largest Catholic-supported party, Hume’s Social Democratic and Labor Party.