Your coverage of Swarthmore’s adoption of the Phoenix as a mascot was enjoyable to read, but you missed one important fact.

Kyle White ’08, mentioned briefly in the article as an emcee of the competition to pick a person to wear the costume, was the driving force behind the mascot from the very beginning. As president of the Garnet Club (created in 2004 to promote school spirit), Kyle took the initiative and approached the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) with his idea to create a mascot. SAAC encouraged Kyle and convened a subcommittee that included Kyle, SAAC members, and even some faculty members. From that committee came a variety of mascot ideas that were later voted on by the student body.

From the beginning until the end of the process, Kyle was the reason we now have the Phoenix as our mascot. He should be commended for his efforts.

Gavin Nurick ’07
Stamford, Conn.

Editor’s Note: It can now be told: In photos of the Phoenix on the cover and within the story "Swarthmore Hatches a Big Red Bird" of the July Bulletin, the costume is inhabited by none other than Kyle White, who indeed deserves great credit for the existence and popularity of the mascot.