Did you ever wonder where the Cal Poly "P" came from?

[swagner]

When I got back from San Diego today and strolled into campus, I noticed the Poly "P" painted like a rainbow (I wondered why for a moment, but then reads in the Mustang Daily that it was done by the Pride Alliance). Anyway, it got me wondering about where the Poly "P" came from. Check it out :

Legacy of the Poly P
As far as anyone can tell there has been a Poly "P" at least since 1919 (however the idea dated to 1913). From the days when Poly was an all boys school to the day that Poly was recognized as a university, the "P" has stood its vigilant watch over the campus from Poly Hill.

How it got there and why are simple enough. The student body and the administration wanted to represent Poly to the outside world. Much thought was given to the idea of whether to use a water-tower with a "P" painted on it (which during those days was a very popular thing to do) or having a giant "P" on the hill. The "P" on the hill finally won due to the expensive price of water-towers. So the "P" was strategically placed so one could see it from the then new Highway 101, the new administration building (now Business Administration and Education), and from a passing airplane.

However, the "P" we see today is not the same sentinel that graced the side of Poly Hill at the time of our grandfathers. In fact the first recorded "P" to ever grace the hillside was made of simple whitewashed stones. In time stones became more trouble than they where worth. During the rains they would wash away and there was always the constant problem the local youth throwing the stones down the hill.

The second "P" was constructed by the Block "P" club. It was made of old whitewashed barn doors secured to the hill side. However this was short lived for on one night a couple of years later a group of high school students smashed the wooden structure , doused the pieces with gasoline, kerosene, cheap beer, and anything else flammable and lit it in effigy. The next day the sun rose with no "P", a small group of very frightened high school kids, and plans to make a more permanent structure on the hill side.

For the immediate time the "P" was reconstructed from wood until all the necessary plans where made to place the first concrete "P" on the Hill. This "P" was also built by the Block "P" club and was overseen by Harry Wineroth (the student body president ). This new "P" was 40 feet tall and 30 feet wide, almost 5 feet larger in both directions than its predecessors.

It was decided that the maintenance of the "P" would be a contest between the Sophomore and Freshman classes, the looser being the one who maintains the structure. This grudge match was dubbed "the Freshman Sophomore Brawl". It consisted of events such as tug of war, greased pole climbs, three legged races, wheelbarrow races, dance contest, talent shows, and something dealing with a balloon the size of a VW bug. As expected the Sophomores almost always won so the "P" was left in the capable hands of the Freshmen.

By 1956, the "P" was in shambles, some blamed it on the high school kids, some blamed it on the rain, but most blamed it on the Freshmen. No matter who did the damage the "P" needed to be repaired. In stepped the social fraternity Delta Sigma Phi and a group of agriculture engineering majors to tackle the task. On may third, 1957 they finished construction of the new "P". This one being 50 feet long and 35 wide can still be seen on Poly Hill to this day.

Toward the end of the 50's the Freshman - Sophomore Brawl was impractical due to the size of the school, hence the "P" was paying the price. Enter the Rally Club, Poly' spirit organization extraordinaire. They picked up the maintenance of the "P" and started a fine tradition. What I am talking about is the lighting of the "P". On the day before a football game the Rally club would drag a generator up to the "P" and Light it. The following night if Poly won the game the lighted "P" would be replaced with a V for victory. This continued up until the late 70s/early 80s when the Rally Club was disbanded due to lack of interest.

For almost 13 years the "P" stood on the hill with no caretakers. Various sorority and fraternity worked the maintenance of the "P" into their pledging and rushing but that was not enough. Time and vandalism took their toll on the "P", the most notorious of which was when a student took a sledge hammer to it and broke off 6 feet.

Running Thunder Steps Up
In 1994 Running Thunder took responsibility of the "P". This is the club who currently lights the "P" and maintains it. Derek Marin, "Mr. P", is Running Thunder's tireless keeper of the famed Cal Poly P. He has spent thousands of hours cleaning, painting, and lighting the most notable of Cal Poly historic icons. He treks up to the P, dragging a gas powered generator, donated by Sand's Liquor and Deli, during every home football game to light it up for all of San Luis Obispo to see. His vast efforts have helped keep this most important of Cal Poly landmarks in stable and awe-inspiring condition.

The future of the P is yet to be seen. The P has started sliding down the slope of the hill and is suffering from some stress fractures from the movement. The P has been accepted to the National Register of Historic Places and as such enjoys legal protection from demolition but at some point major efforts will be needed to stabilize this legacy.

[Admin]

June 1, 2004, "Cal Poly Pomona’s landmark CP on the hill has finally received an additional “P” for Pomona." More info at http://polycentric.csupomon a.edu/news.asp?id=626

[dmarin]

The history listed above about the Cal Poly P is not entirely correct. The story about the water tower and some other items were based mostly on old stories and legend. I should know. I did most of the research for this version of the history when I was in charge of cartaking the P for Running Thunder (http://www.calpoly.edu/~rtclub/rthist.html).

If you are looking for an "official" history of the P it can be found in the University sanctioned book "Cal Poly: The First Hundred Years". Although I do think the above version is more amusing.

Mr. P