Personal Papers of Hal and Wilda Sandy
Overview
As a journalism student at the University of Kansas, Hal Sandy designed the University's "Happy" Jayhawk mascot that has been in continued use for over 60 years. This collection consists of three oversize scrapbooks dated 1950, 1981, and 1990/2000 and clippings and correspondence regarding the unveiling of the official KU logo, at which Hal Sandy was a special guest. The scrapbooks document Hal and his wife Wilda's life together, as well as Hal's business, Hal Sandy, Inc. They also contain numerous photographs, newspaper clippings, letters, cartoons by Hal Sandy, cards, citations, the history of the Jayhawk, obituaries of friends and family, and artwork.
Dates
- Creation: 1941 - 2008
Creator
- Sandy, Harold David, -2017 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
No access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.
Biography of Hal Sandy
Harold "Hal" Sandy was a student at the University of Kansas during the late 1940s. Heeding calls for a more friendly Jayhawk graphic, Hal revamped Gene Williams' war-like 1941 Jayhawk, rounding the curves and creating his smiling 'Hawk. He put the new Jayhawk on decals and began to sell them as a way to finance his education.
Following his graduation with a B.S. in Journalism in 1947, Sandy sold the rights to his image to the fledging Kansas Union Bookstore for $250. Gradually the other Jayhawk models declined in use, and Sandy's version became the dominant incarnation. Today, the Sandy Jayhawk is one of the most recognizable mascots in the country.
Sandy continued a career in design, working for an advertising agency in Kansas City. He passed away on December 9, 2017.
Extent
1 linear foot (1 box, 6 oversize boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Physical Location
PP 506
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift, Hal and Wilda Sandy, 2005; Wilda Sandy, 2016.
Processing Information
Collection formerly housed at PP 429.
Subject
- Barmore, Wilda (Person)
- University of Kansas -- Mascots (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Harold D. "Hal" and Wilda Sandy Collection
- Subtitle
- Personal Papers of Hal and Wilda Sandy
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by ad, 2006; revised by eear, 2013
- Date
- 2006
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Finding aid written in<language encodinganalog="language">English</language>
- Finding aid permalink
- http://hdl.handle.net/10407/5324232117
- Preferred citation
-
Harold D. "Hal" and Wilda Sandy Collection, PP 506, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries
Repository Details
Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository