Bruin Brawl
Current Class
The class of 2011 (freshman) currently holds the bruin.
The Story
In the autumn of 1887, a father and son, the Franks, were hunting in the mountains just west of Carlton when they found a large black bear with a small cub. Mr. Frank shot the bear, while his son, Rueben, caught the cub. They brought the cub home as a pet for a member of their family, Lenora. The cub was raised in a loving environment and was said to playfully wrestle with the children from time to time. However, once the bear was full grown, the wrestling had to be stopped. The following winter, Lenora offered the bear to Pacific Academy Professor, George Hartley. He gladly accepted and soon constructed a pit for the bear.
With the exception of two or three escapes from his pit, the bear's life was fairly uneventful. However, the last time he escaped from his pit, he managed to get into a neighbor's chicken house and did some considerable damage. And, inasmuch as Professor Hartley would not be with Pacific Academy the following year, it was decided that it would be a good time to get rid of the bear. The Zoo was contacted, but they could not accommodate another bear, and Professor Hartley would not allow the bear to fall into unloving or irresponsible hands, so the bear became quite a problem. Then, a local butcher came up with a solution. The bear could provide steaks for several people and the skin could be preserved and placed in the new school museum. After spending several years in the museum, the skin lost its charm, so it was decided that the skin would be incinerated in the school's boiler room. However, the students had other plans and managed to rescue (or kidnap as some have called it) Bruin Junior from certain demise, which is, of course how the tradition began.
Since that time, George Fox students have wrestled over several different versions of Bruin Junior (B.J.) Each replacement, however, has helped the tradition to survive through the years of wear and tear. B.J. has been known to be drug behind bicycles, strapped to backpacks, hidden in trees, and even buried in a plastic bag at the bottom of Hess Creek.
Today, the B.J. is a leather "teddy bear" constructed to withstand the rigors of battle over ownership. A B.J. "flash" or showing is a boost to an otherwise average day and results in many wild stories. Please follow the rules, both new and old, to ensure the continuation of this age-old experience.