Wildcat Inbox

Caring for Waldo

To celebrate Waldo turning 60 years old, we included an article in our winter 2025 issue tracing the beloved mascot’s history.

We received several Waldo-related letters in response, including this message from a former handler of 91·çÁ÷’s one-time live bobcat mascot.

I was the caretaker for Waldo during 1966–67, while her usual handler spent the school year at Michigan State University working on a graduate degree. She was a beautiful, very lively, highly intelligent cat, who loved playing fetch, chasing dogs, and pouncing on my back.

When I first picked her up, I was forewarned that she didn’t like riding in a vehicle and should be sedated and placed in her cage, which was loaded in the back of my old pickup truck. I didn’t wish Waldo to be tranquilized and wanted her in the cab with me to avoid injury in her cage. The caretaker was quite concerned for my safety.

She calmly sat beside me (before the days of seatbelts!), as her handler waved us away — no problem! From that moment, things spiraled down quickly. When I started the engine, she crouched with her ears back, emitting a low growl. When I reached for the floor shift, she attacked my arm. Luckily, her canine teeth and front claws had been extracted when Waldo was a kitten, so the damage was minimal.

We rocketed away, with the cat screaming and jumping between me and the passenger-side window. I kept control, dropping down 9th Street to Washington Boulevard. While waiting for the light to change at the 24th Street intersection, Waldo was wound up tight, emitting wildcat screams once the light changed and we began moving again. It was a hot summer day, so I had cracked the windows before air conditioning was a thing. Her caterwauls and thrashing about attracted considerable notice from drivers and those on nearby sidewalks.

We finally made what seemed an interminably long drive to her new quarters, where I was renting a small apartment on 24th Street above Harrison Boulevard. Once the truck engine was turned off, Waldo settled. I attached a leash to her harness, got some help to unload her cage, and, following a leashed walk around the yard, drug reluctant Waldo into her cage.  

On numerous occasions in the year that followed, Waldo showed me her uncanny intelligence, strength and agility. The challenge of getting her into the cage (a dog-run type) was never easy. One day while playing fetch, it dawned on me that she would follow the ball into her cage — problem solved! It only worked once. The next time I threw the ball into her cage, she ran to the door, sat down, and looked at me with an expression, “You think I’m stupid?”

One trick that always worked was tossing a hunk of raw meat into her cage — she couldn’t resist! Fortunately, I had a successful deer hunt that fall, which Waldo ate most of through the winter, supplemented with dog food.

Another favorite game Waldo loved was dropping from the eight-foot-high open rafters in the garage onto my shoulders as I walked below. We had moved her cage into the garage for the winter. I hated this game, as it invariably caused the hair to stand straight on the back of my neck. Waldo could effortlessly spring from the garage floor into the rafters, disappear into the shadows, and drop on my shoulders with mouth lightly pressed against my jugular, “Gotcha!” spring off, and repeat this horrific act of terror against the victim.

We had our moments with the law. When neighbors saw a wildcat chasing their dog, soon after the Logan police would appear, giving me the ultimatum to control the cat or they would capture and release it to the wilds. This would spell doom for Waldo as a fully habituated cat without canines and front claws. She would soon starve, be hit by a car, get shot or be lost to a predator.

Her final act of terror came on a beautiful spring day with an elderly lady hanging her wash on the clothesline near our bordering chain-link fence. She rarely came outside and was unaware a bobcat was living next door. Waldo and I had been playing fetch when she spotted the elder working at the clothesline. She immediately went into a crouch and began stalking her prey in a playful way. I was spellbound by what was unfolding before me. As Waldo crawled toward the fence, the lady suddenly noticed her. She instantly hiked up her ankle-length dress and ran panicked to her back door, so terrified that she struggled to open the screen door. Waldo sat on her haunches, transfixed by this erratic human behavior.

Another visit by the law — the last straw!

I never took the limp, sedated cat to games that year, as I wasn’t comfortable sedating her, and carrying a seemingly dead bobcat into screaming masses just didn’t appeal to me!

— Jack Greene, Weber State College alum

Jack Greene also shared his story about Waldo with

Waldo on the Road

We received the following from a Weber grad in Arlington, Washington.

Receiving my Wildcat alumni magazine is always a treat, especially as I long ago moved away from the Wasatch Mountains, Ogden and Weber State University.

I’m old enough to say I started at Weber when it was “WSC.” I was doubly fortunate to not only graduate from Weber, but also had the opportunity to work on campus for a few years.

I read with interest the “Travel with Waldo” article () and wanted to share my own “Waldo.”

As I live on the coast of Washington State, I make sure to keep my purple blood with me everywhere I drive.

Forever a Wildcat.

— Kristi Barker Neeleman BS ’87

Fortuitous Timing

Karin Hurst spoke with us about her late father, Dean, creating the first images of Waldo, for the Waldo article in our last issue. Upon receiving the issue in her mailbox, she wrote the following.

Dear Weber State friends,

Today, I received the latest edition of Wildcat magazine in the mail. Interestingly, it arrived on the exact day my sweet dad passed away one year ago. I feel like ever since that day, Dean has been sporadically sending little “winks” to let me know he’s still keeping tabs on me, my children and the school he loves so dearly. Reading your delightful history of Waldo (with its creative graphic design) felt like I was getting another wink. Your touching tribute to Dean’s artwork and legacy warmed my heart on a day I was feeling a little more blue than purple.

Thank you.

— Karin Hurst AA ’79

I Got to Be Waldo for One Night

In 1987, a friend of mine got married, and we had already started a tradition of “disrupting” wedding receptions. One of our friend group knew the real Waldo. So we borrowed the costume, and Waldo went to the wedding reception.

I didn’t get to eat anything, but I had a great time!

On a side note, I was honored to know Dean Hurst. He loved Waldo.

Thanks for the memory!

— Heather Forsgren Weaver BA ’89

For a Caring Teacher

Our coverage of Weber State’s piano program in the spring 2024 91·çÁ÷ issue made quite an impression. We received the following message after publishing a letter in our winter 2025 issue honoring Yu-Jane Yang, director of the program, and the late Carol Hurst, a 91·çÁ÷ supporter and piano teacher.

Dear Wildcat alumni magazine,

I was happy and touched to read the tribute to Yu-Jane Yang and Carol Hurst in the winter 2025 issue. Like the author of the article, I was also a student of Carol Hurst during my junior high and high school years, and she changed my life. She taught me more than just good technique and great piano literature — she taught me how much a caring teacher can make a difference.

Carol is part of the reason I decided to go to Weber State (I knew how much she loved the school!) and a big reason I became a piano teacher. Her teaching continues to influence me as I work with and love my own students, just like I knew she loved me. When I received the news Carol had passed away, I cried in grief but also in gratitude for all she was and all she gave me.

I have not been a private student of Dr. Yang, but as a member of the Davis chapter of the Utah Music Teachers Association, I have been fortunate to observe her teaching in several of the many master classes that she has presented to our chapter and at state UMTA conferences. Her example of exceptional teaching has given me much food for thought as I keep striving to be a better teacher.

Weber State continues to be a part of my life through these two amazing women. Thank you for publishing the article that lovingly showcased both of them.

— Emma Dibble West BA ’93

Want to share your thoughts on something you read? Email us at magazine@weber.edu

Please note letters may be edited for length or clarity.