Birds at Lehigh University

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Alumnus Leslie Hunter Whitten (‘50) was a reporter who covered historical events such as the Watergate scandal and the break in at the Bureau of Indian Affairs by the American Indian Movement, which made him the focus of investigations by the U.S. intelligence community. In addition to his reporting, Whitten was also a novelist, writing horror stories, crime and political thrillers, and even a biography of famous defense lawyer F. Lee Bailey. This work blends elements of a fictional adventure story with real life political reporting. Told from the perspective of the titular eagle, this novel recounts the bird’s struggle to survive while being the target of a hunter. The sections of the book focused on the U.S. Congress shows how conservation of some endangered species has been accomplished through a hunting ban.

Les Whitten (1928- ).
Pinion, the Golden Eagle. Princeton, N.J.: Van Nostrand, [1968].

Lehigh University Catalog Record: https://asa.lib.lehigh.edu/Record/283575

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Clutch: The Lehigh University Mountain Hawk

Adopted as Lehigh’s first official mascot in 1995, the Mountain Hawk became the symbol of the university’s athletics programs. The university had a number of team names and identifiers in the past, including the Engineers, the Packers, and the L-Train, but none of these were ever officially recognized as the mascot. A November 1995 Brown and White article notes that the Mountain Hawk met the five basic criteria that were established for a mascot, “it should be an animal to prevent racial or gender bias, it should not be an object like the Lehigh L-train, it should be native to the area, it should be unique, and it should appeal to students and merchandisers.” Featured here are historical documents and newspaper clippings related to the mascot selection process.

In 2008, the mountain hawk mascot gained its official name, Clutch, after a competition that included 22 other options including “Ace, Asa, Claw, CoCo, CoCoa, Ernest, Havoc, Hunter, Langdon, Lifton, LU, LoUie, LUey, Maverick, Mo, Mounty, Southclaw, Star, Steel, Talon, and Thunder. The decision to use this fictitious bird as the mascot was contentious, with many alumni criticizing the choice and favoring the more traditional “Engineers”. Despite some initial controversy over how the Mountain Hawk was chosen, Clutch has been an integral part of Lehigh’s campus and cultural identity for nearly three decades.

Lehigh University Catalog Record: https://asa.lib.lehigh.edu/asa/Record/714003