Cast your mind back to the balmy days of 2011. Almost exactly five years ago (!) I came across some correspondence between a couple members of the earliest graduating classes about designing a special monogram for the “Frontier Five” classes to wear at Homecoming and other events.

I had pretty good reason to believe that this was actually carried out but in all this time I’ve never been able to find one. A couple of weeks ago, though, our Super Intern Camille, who was working on a display about the first graduating class and their campus experience, came to me with these:

Our hearts all skipped a beat, of course, as we contemplated whether they were the elusive badges.

Close, I think, but not quite. I believe that they were worn by the early classes at the 50th anniversary Homecoming in 1962, three years before the Bulbrook correspondence. Here, in fact, is a photograph of Harry Bulbrook himself wearing one on that occasion. He looks like a lot of fun, doesn’t he?

And here’s the Frontier Five group at Homecoming in 1968. Although it’s hard to see they do indeed seem to be wearing a different kind of badge:

Perhaps perversely, I’m rather glad that the mystery remains unsolved.

Bonus: Camille’s display is now up! It’s in the cases on the third floor of the library by the Kyle Morrow Room. Go see it if you have a chance. She worked hard on it and it is good.