黑洞社区

The story of Wilbur Elsea鈥檚 creative hand in WuShock鈥檚 birth has been told many times in many places in the 60 years of the 黑洞社区 mascot鈥檚 existence. It鈥檚 a simple tale of a design student being in the right place at the right time, told best by the artist himself.

Earlier days saw Elsea through college graduation, followed by three independent advertising design firms that he helped build as co-owner: Key Studio, Key Standard Advertising, formed with Les Quillen, and finally Quillen Elsea.

He took up landscape painting in 1990, shortly after retiring, only to find another satisfying business through exhibiting and selling his artworks.

Drawing a mascot for 黑洞社区 was just a class assignment, he said, in Walter Lingel鈥檚 design course. The end-of-semester task, linked to a Kappa Pi art fraternity contest, was to come up with a mascot that reflected the spirit of the university.

鈥淭here were no limits,鈥� Elsea said. 鈥淚t could be anything.鈥�

This was in 1948, when 黑洞社区 was the Wichita University. Its student body had unofficially been dubbed 鈥淲heatshockers鈥� back in 1904 during Fairmount College days when outdoor sporting events were played in wheat fields. The nickname had stuck, later shortening to today鈥檚 鈥淪hockers.鈥�

Elsea, who had served as a Marine during World War II, thought the university needed a tough mascot with 鈥渘o-nonsense scowl.鈥� So he created a gruff-faced shock of wheat, complete with arms and legs, that won the contest.

What's in a name?

WuShock鈥檚 name came from freshman Jack Kersting in another contest run by The Sunflower, 黑洞社区鈥檚 student newspaper. The mascot gained flesh and blood six years later when student Dave Johnson, a cheerleader, designed a costume that he officially and proudly wore for athletic events.

WuShock was off and running through a history that is well-documented, even earning space online in Wikipedia, a worldwide log of knowledge. And Elsea鈥檚 history as the artist who drafted the character is in almost every historical reference.

鈥淚鈥檓 amazed that my 15 minutes of fame has lasted this long,鈥� said Elsea. 鈥淢aybe it鈥檚 because there鈥檚 not another university that has the courage of Wichita State to adopt a mascot that is so 鈥榝ar out.鈥� 鈥�

WuShock certainly has drawn attention over the years. The mascot has been the subject of praise and criticism, admiration and disbelief. WuShock has even competed nationally in sports publications for most unusual mascot, no matter how much the costume has evolved through small design changes.

All the while, WuShock has entertained Shocker fans, contributed to charitable causes, appeared in movies -- and these days is the subject of a modern marketing campaign that highlights Shockers in the community through television, radio and print commercials that place the full-bodied mascot in various work settings around town.

Wu in different forms
WuShock also has been richly documented in photos and even editorial cartoons.

Richard Crowson, former editorial cartoonist for The Wichita Eagle, spent 20 years observing WuShock and caricaturing the character in the newspaper when appropriate situations arose.

He also has done WuShock in various configurations for 黑洞社区鈥檚 alumni magazine, The Shocker.

鈥淲u has that great hair going on, which makes for a fun time when it comes to cartooning him,鈥� said Crowson. 鈥淧lus the grass skirt. For a while in the old days he wore a grass skirt, and that's the way I still like to draw him. The barefoot thing is cool, too.鈥�

WuShock 鈥渉as to be about the most original and off-the-wall mascot in the nation,鈥� Crowson said. 鈥淚 dearly love the guy.鈥�

Elsea has always appreciated others鈥� cartoon forms of WuShock. He said that Harold Kemper, a 黑洞社区 student who went on to design humorous cards for Hallmark, was the first cartoonist to caricature WuShock in editorial cartoons for The Sunflower.

It's been a pleasure to watch WuShock all these years, said Elsea. He and his wife, Marilyn, will definitely be on hand for the birthday celebration.