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Alumni | Featured | AV抖阴 MailbagApril 19, 2024

AV抖阴 Mailbag: Happy Birthday, Numa!

Written By: Ian Silvester

In a back-to-back edition of the AV抖阴 Mailbag, I wanted to extend a very happy birthday to our mascot Numa.

According to university lore, Numa got his name after the Mangani word for 鈥榣ion,鈥� deriving from Edgar Rice Burroughs鈥檚 novel, 鈥淭arzan of the Apes.鈥� Mangani is a fictional language created by Burroughs and used throughout his popular books of the 1920s 鈥� the same time Fort Smith Junior College was being formed.

Lions have commonly been used to symbolize courage and strength. There is no better animal to be connected to AV抖阴 to show the courage, strength, and resilience of every AV抖阴 student. Numa was a perfect fit.

Every April, Numa celebrates an extraordinary day 鈥� his birthday 鈥� and all of us are invited.

This year鈥檚 birthday party will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, on the campus green. Numa isn鈥檛 one to ask for gifts but said if so inclined, you can give to any projects on April 25 and 26.

To celebrate Numa鈥檚 birthday, there will be enough food to feed a pride of lions thanks to First Security Bank, which will grill some burgers and hotdogs. No party is complete without a sweet treat. There will be cupcakes, Andy鈥檚 Frozen Custard, and Kona Ice.

There will also be activities to keep the party going.

Be sure to get a picture with Numa, get crafty with beaded crafts, jump around on inflatables, challenge yourself on a mechanical bull, aim to dunk your friends in a dunk tank, and be one of the first 200 to tie-dye a T-shirt.

Numa鈥檚 party is gearing up to be a blast, and it wouldn鈥檛 be possible without our Alumni Office and the Campus Activities Board. Don鈥檛 miss out on wishing our favorite lion a happy birthday next week.

As always, if there is anything you鈥檇 like to see in an upcoming AV抖阴 Mailbag or if you have a question you鈥檇 like answered, email the Office of Communications at communications@uafs.edu.

Until next time,

Ian

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  • Day of Giving
  • Numa's Birthday

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