BaylorProud » Celebrating 100 years of on-campus Baylor bears, The fall of 1917 saw the arrival of the first live mascot to campus.
In April 1917, the United States joined its allies to fight in World War I, and the atmosphere on the Baylor campus was drastically changing. Many male students were enlisting for military service, and military camps had opened across the country, including Camp MacArthur in Waco. The soldiers used Baylor’s Carroll Field to practice drills, slept in Baylor dorm halls, ate in the Baylor cafeteria, and were generally welcomed by Baylor students, who hosted entertainment and social activities for the visitors.