I have done a great many things as a university president, some expected and others completely unanticipated. Most senior roles have a clause added to their contracts that says, ‘and other duties as required,’ and I have interpreted that clause in generous and varied ways: working in shelters, building new learning spaces, getting dunked by freezing water for an ice-bucket challenge. 

What I didn’t ever expect to do was to develop and launch a mascot. And yet, as St. Mark’s College and Corpus Christi College in Vancouver prepared to celebrate major anniversaries (70 and 25 years respectively), it occurred to me that we needed a playful symbol of that celebration. As it happens, St. Mark’s is represented by a winged lion—and so, Marko was born … so to speak.

Advertisement

Anyone who thinks developing a mascot is easy has not navigated the dynamics of the real and online worlds. In principle this seemed like a simple thing to do. There were plenty of cute miniature lions available for purchase on-line. We simply needed to locate the ideal character and order a sizeable number. First, however, we needed to ensure that our college logos could be printed on both side of his T-shirt (because all mascots need to be clothed!). One side, not a problem. Both sides, possible.

Advertisement

Enter my daughter, an artist, as it happens. She diligently designed a stamp with intricately carved wings which could be applied to the T-shirt with some effort. She even arranged to fly to Vancouver to perform this pain-staking feat. Alas, the airline kept her trapped at the airport for 11 hours only to cancel her flight at the end of a long day. We then needed to find a willing victim—er, volunteer—to take over the role once the stamps were mailed to us. Over a few  weeks, some 200 miniature lions received their wings. Marko was officially ready for flight.

To say that he was an instant hit would be an under-statement. Both the miniature and the full-sized embodiment quickly charmed students, staff and community members. The small initial supply we had available for purchase (through a donation to our food bank) was snapped up in minutes. It is humbling and hilarious to be up-staged by a cute, furry creature, but difficult to begrudge the impact he has had on community gatherings already. Of course, while the mascot is playful, it serves an important purpose, and also represents a compelling narrative.

The mascot is a symbol, not the thing itself, but it allows a focus on community and identity. First formulated in 1800s France, mascots (mascotte) were understood to be lucky charms of sorts. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, they evolved, in part through U.S. sports, to be live – and later costumed – representatives of their organizations. Full credit to Yale’s ‘Handsome Dan,’ the live bulldog (1892), and the New York Mets’ first costumed mascot Mr. Met (1964). Critics credit the San Diego Chicken, though, for popularizing the form (1974)!

Advertisement

In a more serious vein, the winged lion, representing St. Mark’s, concretizes a more remarkable legacy. The saint is represented by a winged lion because the opening of his gospel begins with John the Baptist’s voice ‘roaring like a lion in the wilderness’ (1:3). In Revelations (4:7), St. Mark is referred to as one of the four winged beings surrounding God’s throne. The association is further compounded by a Venetian legend that tells of an angel appearing as a winged lion before St. Mark, saying, ‘Peace be with you, Mark, my evangelist. Here your body will rest.’ Even though Mark died in Egypt, it’s said that two individuals stole the saint’s bones and transported them back to Venice in 828 to protect the city, which was then an independent state. Not surprisingly, the winged lion became the symbol of Venice itself, and Mark its patron saint.

While it is early days now in the story of our own mascot, he has a presence on campus already. As part of our anniversary celebrations, we also installed a new statue of St. Mark by famed Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz, and at its foot is a miniature winged lion, holding court at the centre of our campus. And so we are well protected, and well represented, by our namesake. As we read in Psalms, ‘in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge’ (57:1). Or, as one of our students said, ‘I am Marko, hear me roar!’