After suffering at the hands of vandals, Jumbo II - Tufts' 80-year-old concrete mascot - will soon undergo repairs to her trunk and tail.
According to Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) Captain Mark Keith, an unknown person or persons vandalized the statue between the evening of Friday, Feb. 15 and the following morning, throwing what appeared to be cinder blocks at the tail and trunk areas.
Jumbo's tail is now completely knocked off and a layer of concrete is missing from part of the trunk, exposing the wire mesh beneath. According to Keith, the police have yet to identify any suspects in the case.
The mascot's facelift, which will cost approximately $500 to $700, could begin as early as next week, according to Director of Medford Facilities Ronald Esposito. The work will be contracted out to Your Space, a landscaping company that has worked with facilities in the past. Jumbo II has undergone several coats of paint and one previous tail reconstruction in 1994.
"I'd like to know who did it so we can give them the bill," Esposito said.
Money for the repairs will come from existing funds for campus beautification. Though facilities does not perform regular checks of campus artwork, the department is responsible for its maintenance. Despite its fragile composition, Jumbo II has proven to be remarkably resilient to wear and tear throughout its 80-year history. The pachyderm statue is actually made of papier-m??ch?© over a wire mesh frame, covered by less than two inches of concrete. It has been moved three times between two states and has little more than a few cracks to show for it.
Dedicated in 1993, Jumbo II was a gift from the Tufts class of 1958 on its 35th reunion. It was meant to be a replacement for the real Jumbo, a stuffed elephant that was destroyed when the Barnum Museum of Natural History burned down in 1975. The concrete elephant initially received a mixed reaction from students, but soon became a staple on the Hill, greeting campus visitors from her home in front of the second Barnum Hall.
Robert Hale, LA '58, co-chaired the reunion committee that purchased Jumbo II. He has fond memories of Jumbo's journey to Tufts.
"We put the thing on a flatbed truck and drove it through the middle of town," Hale said. "You should have seen the looks on people's faces."
Jumbo II was transported from its home for over 70 years, Hudson, New Hampshire, to Acton, Massachusetts. After the class of '58 successfully negotiated with the administration to bring the statue to the hill, it was trucked to Medford. The elephant was lifted up 60 feet in the air by crane and lowered onto a specially prepared brick foundation just in time for Homecoming.
The administration approved the statue's placement despite worries that students would vandalize it, according to Hale. Although Jumbo II has been the occasional brunt of student pranks - including paintings such as a white heart on its backside - the statue has remained relatively unharmed throughout his eight-year residence at Tufts.
Dean of Admissions David Cuttino said the statue commands a certain respect from students.
"I think one of the remarkable things is that the statue hasn't been marred more often," Cuttino said. Some in the class of '58 have a different theory.
"The fact that it is relatively fragile probably keeps it from getting [purposely] damaged," Hale said. "Look at the cannon. It's so sturdy that people feel they can vandalize it."
Prior to its location on Walnut Hill, Jumbo II resided at Benson's Wild Animal Farm in Hudson, New Hampshire. According to Laurie Jasper of the Hudson Historical Society, the statue was dubbed the "lucky elephant" by the park's visitors and it may have been modeled after owner John Benson's pet elephant, Betsy. Children would try to throw pennies on its back and legend had it that a wish was granted to those who managed to do so. Benson's Wild Animal Farm closed in 1987 and its contents were sold at auction.
Today, Jumbo II still serves as a good luck charm for Tufts students and visitors. Pennies now rest on the bridge of its wounded trunk, supposedly granting success on exams. The modest elephant, much smaller than the first, 11-foot-tall Jumbo, has become an important part of Tufts' tradition.
"This is not any elephant, it's a particular elephant," Cuttino said. "Jumbo II has made telling that story necessary. It's a tradition people can enjoy."
Hale is glad that the Tufts community has grown to appreciate the statue.
"Jumbo II was meant as a symbol of Tufts' beginnings, its greatness, and its future greatness," he said.
"Tell those kids to keep their hands off him," he joked. Hale also hinted at future plans for a Jumbo III.
"It has been discussed that at some future point it would be nice to have a more permanent statue. That one's not going to last for another hundred years."
A new statue will most likely be on the agenda when the class of 1958 meets for its 45th reunion in 2003. For now, though, Jumbo II will suffice as the closest thing Tufts has to the original Jumbo the Elephant.
