Capistrano has its swallows, Hinckley has its buzzards, and Punxsutawney has its groundhog. Kent State University in Kent, Ohio has its black squirrels. This year, 2011, marks the 50th Anniversary of when the furry critters were first imported to the campus via Canada. Early September, the black squirrels are honored at the annual Black Squirrel Festival, organized by the Kent Student Center Programming.
When I entered the campus as a freshman, two things were noticeable. First the sign on the campus grass which read…Grass Grows by the inches/Dies by the foot. I thought that sign was clever, and it made me more aware and determined to walk on the sidewalks and the pathways. The other thing was the presence of the black squirrels. I had seen grey squirrels, never black ones. These black squirrels were uprooted from Canada and brought to the campus and are now the unofficial mascot. Then the squirrels were few, romped around the campus, down the walks, ran over the grass and up the trees, and multiplied. Now they have their own festival! This year’s festival will be the 29th one dedicated to Kent’s black squirrel population.
Larry Wooddell, the campus ground superintendent and “Bill” Staples, a retired Davy Tree employee, are the two men responsible for bringing the black squirrels from Canada to Kent. In 1961,Wooddell became interested when he first saw the rare black squirrels in Chardon, Ohio, 30 miles east of Kent. Eventually they squirrels were killed off by predators. Staples discovered an abundance of black squirrels in Canada. Over a six-month period, Wooddell and Staples corresponded with the United States and the Canadian governments working on arrangements to bring the black squirrels to Kent. In early 1961, the men drove a station wagon and brought 10 squirrels, which were trapped by the Canadian wildlife authorities. The two brought them to the campus, released them and the legend of the black squirrels survived, adapted and now are part of the campus life and legend.
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