Richland High School (Washington) - Mascot

Mascot

Originally the school had no mascot (1910 to 1922). From 1922 to 1937 the mascot was the Colts; from 1938 to 1944, the Beaver. In the fall of 1945, after the atomic bombs were dropped, the war ended and many employees at Hanford donated a day's pay to an effort to raise money for a military airplane to contribute to the war effort, student decided to change the mascot to a military bomber (hence 'the Bombers'). After the end of World War II, students and Richland residents learned about the pivotal role the little community played is producing plutonium for the nuclear bomb dropped on Nagasaki. The actual timeframe belies this however. In June 1944 the campaign by Hanford workers to raise funds for the B-17 was conducted, with nearly 90% of the workers contributing. Upon completion of this warplane, it was flown to Hanford and a dedication ceremony was conducted on July 23, 1944 and was documented in the community newspaper. On December 6, 1945 a group of civic-minded residents brought up the idea of purchasing the plane, but the concept never came to fruition. At no time in any documentation in any newspapers during this period was there mention of the high school in reference to this plane, nor was there any mention of it in the high school's yearbook of that year. 1944-1945 was the first official school year of the high school, and the nickname "Beavers" was the name appearing in that year's yearbook. A dented practice bomb painted the school colors of green and gold became the mascot, dragged onto the field at football games and pulled onto the basketball court on a cart. The mascot "The Bombers" is clearly shown in pictures of that year and for many years following. To this date, there are no pictures showing an airplane as a mascot for the school in its early years that have been produced, nor any school yearbooks or newspapers mentioning the warplane. The school was opened before the war ended, and there is no official record anywhere attaching the "Day's Pay" B-17 warplane to the high school during the early years of the high school. Into the 1950s and 1960s and through the 1980s, lettermen and "Pep Squad" logos awarded were in the distinct shape of a bomb and were colored green with gold lettering or numbers. In later years, the nuclear cloud and phrase "Nuke 'Em," among others, became the unofficial mascots for the school. The official mascot is still a B-17 bomber called "A Day's Pay." In 1988, amidst visits by Tom Brokaw (NBC Nightly News) and Japanese delegates, a vote was taken by the students making the Bomb (with the Mushroom Cloud logo) the official mascot of Richland High School.

Timeline of the Mascot of Richland High School (Columbia High School)
1910 to 1922 - NO MASCOT
1922 to 1937 - RHS Colts
1938 to 1944 - RHS Broncs
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1944 - Fall - from Broncs to Beavers (44-45 school year)
-08/06/45 - First A-Bomb (Little Boy) dropped on Hiroshima by B-29 Enola Gay.
-08/09/45 - Hanford-plutonium A-Bomb (Fat Man) dropped on Nagasaki by B-29 Bock's Car
-08/14/45 - WWII ended
10/12/45 - from Beavers to Bombers (45-46 school year) 12/15/10 - Bomb Mascot adopted (10-11 school year)

The 1945-1946 Year book was adorned with Atomic symbols in reference to the contribution made in producing plutonium. First visible Mascot was a Bomb. The mushroom cloud was adopted in the 1970s.

The history of the school, its nicknames, mascots and associations with the Hanford Works Project and the "Day's Pay" B-17 are well documented, with verifiable sources and references, and chonology in "The Bomber, The Bomb and the Bombers" by Keith Maupin.