New Jumbo statue to start its freshman year on the Hill

A new bronze statue of Tufts University's elephant mascot, Jumbo, will replace the existing sculpture on the Academic Quad this fall, with the official unveiling set for Oct. 19. The former statue of Jumbo, which was located outside of Barnum Hall, has already been removed in preparation for the replacement.

Former Vice President of Operations Richard Reynolds (A ‘67) donated the funds for the sculpture, and Professor of Art History Andrew McClellan chaired the committee to find a sculptor for the new Jumbo.

"Tufts wasn't looking to create a new statue, but Mr. Reynolds made an offer we couldn't refuse," McClellan told the Daily in an email.

McClellan explained that the latest sculpture reflects the image of a breed of African elephant, a more accurate portrayal of the school's mascot than had been on display with the original figure, which was modeled after a breed of Asian elephant.

A committee of Tufts community members partnered with McClellan to select California artist Steven Whyte to sculpt the new statue. Whyte is set to ship the 11-foot-tall, 18-foot-long, 5,000-pound piece to the Medford/Somerville campus before Parents and Family Weekend in October, when the statue will be officially dedicated.

In conjunction with the dedication of the new statue, McClellan said he plans to arrange the first-ever exhibition on Jumbo the elephant in the Tufts University Art Gallery, which will be open to the public from Sept. 11 to Dec. 7.

"[The exhibition] draws together a rich assemblage of images and artifacts to tell the extraordinary story of Jumbo, the most famous of animals and most distinctive of college mascots," McClellan said, adding that he is also writing a book about Jumbo. "Tufts is fortunate to have such an interesting and distinctive mascot. Jumbo's life and legacy and the Tufts connection deserve to be better known."

Whyte's sculpture was designed after an 1882 picture of the original elephant Jumbo, who became immortalized as Tufts' mascot. The original elephant was donated to Tufts by P.T. Barnum in 1885 and had been the premier animal in the "Greatest Show on Earth" circus until being killed in a train accident.

P.T. Barnum then had Jumbo stuffed and donated it, alongside a considerable monetary contribution, to Tufts, where Jumbo was on display for 90 years. In 1975, however, the Barnum Museum of Natural History, with Jumbo inside, burned down in a fire, with only the animal's tail being saved. The Barnum Museum of Natural History was later rebuilt as Barnum Hall, but Tufts remained without a physical version of its mascot for 18 years.

In 1993, Tufts alumni donated an amusement park statue of an elephant, which became a familiar symbol of Tufts used in the school's promotional materials.

To Reynolds, however, who worked at Tufts from 2010 to 2013 and attended the college, that sculpture never truly embodied Jumbo.

"[The old statue] was a cartoon elephant, no matter how you slice it," Reynolds said. "It wasn't full-sized, sort of cartoonish and, frankly, I thought it did not depict [Jumbo]. If Jumbo is our mascot, that's not Jumbo."

Vice President of University Advancement Eric Johnson noted that the statue will be the closest replica of Jumbo since the original elephant burned down and will serve as a visual representation of school spirit.

"Jumbo has long connected not only students but also alumni around the world," Johnson said in a statement. "Now, thanks to the generosity and vision of these alumni, we can bring this majestic mascot back to the Hill. For me, the dedication of the new Jumbo is a celebration of that enduring, lifelong connection to Tufts."

Another Tufts alumnus, Richard Asher (A '53), also made a donation to create a garden around the new statue, which Associate Director of Public Relations Alexander Reid said would be reminiscent of an African savanna, the original Jumbo's native setting.

McClellan said he believes the new statue will more than compensate for the loss of the old one.

"I think people are excited by the prospect of a monumental statue of our mascot on the main quad of our campus," McClellan said. "I hope it will galvanize school pride among students, staff and faculty and prove an attraction for campus visitors, including prospective students."