The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford is honoring its aviation history with a newly named mascot, “Piper the Panther.”
Last year, Pitt Bradford officials asked students and community members to give suggestions for what to call its panther mascot.
Richard Esch, the campus president, said several of the suggested names would have honored the region in some way.
“'Brad' as in Bradford, 'Kinzua,' which is a kind of a regional name here… We have the Kinzua Reservoir and the Kinzua Dam," Esch said. "'Blaze' and 'Blizzard,' which could also be appropriate from time to time.”
"Blaze" would have been a nod to Zippo lighters, which are made in Bradford.
More than 500 people voted in an election, and the results came out in late September. Esch says “Piper” won by a large margin. The name is a nod to William Piper, who grew up in Bradford and founded the Piper Aircraft Corporation in 1937.
“And I think this will forevermore remind students, about the history as well as the connection between Piper the Panther and Pitt Bradford in aviation history," Esch said.
The Piper Aircraft Corporation manufactured Cub planes, which were widely used during World War II. Pitt Bradford is also built on what used to be the Harri Emery Airport. Parts of the airport are still there today.
“We have the control tower, which is our human resources office, the original control tower from the 1920s, 30s time frame," Esch said.
Esch said a hangar from the airport, where Piper Cub planes were stored, is used today for the business office, registrar and financial aid.
