What are Arkansas Tech’s Wonder Boys and Golden Suns? The term Wonder Boy was coined by Henry Loesch, the sports editor for the Arkansas Gazette, in 1919 after an upset win over the Jonesboro Aggies. It has since been the beloved mascot of Tech’s men’s sports teams. In 1975, after having been referred to as the “Wonderettes” for more than 50 years, the female athletes at ATU held a contest to find a new name for themselves.

The proclaimed winner was the Golden Suns which has since become a well-known name for our women’s athletics.

After much deliberation over whether to adopt a university-wide mascot,create visual representations of the current mascots, or to stay the same,the Arkansas Tech Mascot Committee presented their recommendation to Doctor Brown on Aug. 7. He accepted the recommendation and the mascot committee has started the process of creating visual identities for the historical Wonder Boys and Golden Suns.

There have not been many  differing ideas over what the visual representation for the Golden Suns will be. The consensus among the Tech student body is that it should be an oversized sun, gold in color. This is the obvious solution and we agree that no other visual representation could quite come close to a golden “ball of fire.” Now, on the other hand, there has been quite a bit of controversy over the Wonder Boy. This is due, in large part, to the fact that no one really knows what a Wonder Boy is.

Some view a Wonder Boy as a super hero dressed in a flashy green and gold leotard with huge muscles, boots, a cape and a giant “W” onhis chest. This vision may be kept in mind and considered; however, we do not believe that it represents the history or upholds the traditions of Arkansas Tech University.

Others in the student section have made it known that their idea of a Wonder Boy is somewhat like the original football uniform, consisting of an old leather helmet, a green and gold uniform and leather football cleats. This is the same uniform that John Tucker, the original Wonder Boy, wore in his days playing here at Tech. We are proud of our history and do not believe it should be forgotten. There could not be a better representation of a Wonder Boy than the uniform of its originator.

But, what about the men’s basketball team? Surely they cannot be represented by a football player. The solution, we believe, is simple. There could be a common figure that looks the part of the “original Wonder Boy” era. This figure would become the face of the Wonder Boys. To make it a versatile mascot, the uniform could change according to what sport is in season. He could wear the uniform described above for football season. Then the uniform could change to what a basketball uniform would have looked like during the same time period for basketball season.

This representation is creative, unique and reminds us where we got our name. It keeps alive the traditions of Tech, while showing everyone what a Wonder Boy really is. A Wonder Boy is not a super hero-like figure, but a strong, outstanding athlete like John Tucker — the kind of athlete that others look up to and strive to be.