ASHLANDÂ — It didn’t fly away, but a cast-iron Ashland University eagle has left, er, been taken, from its earthen nest.
The four-foot eagle, named Jake, was dug up from the ground in front of Jacobs Hall, according to Rick Ewing, vice president of operations for AU.
It was discovered missing Friday morning from in front of the co-ed residence hall, Ewing said. A police report was filed, but as of Wednesday afternoon, there was no sign of the purple-and-white eagle that is perched on a globe.
Jake is one of 25 eagle statues around the AU campus. Most of them arrived several decades ago, apparently stolen from the J.I. Case Company, a tractor manufacturer.
According to a 2015 story on AU Live, “It wasn’t until the summer of 1940 when the first eagle, Louie, made his way to campus. Faculty and students alike were confused by the appearance of the Eagle and he stood proudly on-top of the scoreboard in the old Redwood Stadium for many years.”
The majority of the eagles “arrived” on campus in the 1950s.
Ewing said the excavation was done manually, likely by two or three individuals perhaps armed with a shovel and a spud bar.
“The eagles sit on a globe and that globe is partially encased in concrete,” Ewing said.
He noted there was a possibility the concrete could have lost some of its integrity over the years. Still, Jake could weigh somewhere between 50 and 100 pounds, “or more. It’s not light.”
The university has security cameras, though none of them picked up any footage of the theft, Ewing said.
The vast majority of students are not yet on campus for the new semester, according to Ewing, who said “move-in week” begins Aug. 24.
He is hopeful the missing raptor is located.
“Many times things disappear on a campus and then show up somewhere else on campus. I am hoping that’s the case,” Ewing said.
