Grand Valley ‘Firsts’
The lore behind
Lakers, Louie, logo and more
Grand Valley ‘Firsts’
The lore behind
Lakers, Louie, logo
and more
STORY BY SARAH DUDINETZ
At just over 60 years old, Grand Valley is a young institution rich with traditions. Brush up on your Laker lore and learn the stories behind your favorite campus landmarks, trivia and traditions.
Louie the Laker/
the Great Laker
While the name “Lakers” was solidified in 1965, it was a while before any mascot would exist. The first iteration of Louie, “The Great Laker,” was born in 1977 and was played by Dan Castle ’80. The reaction to Louie was positive, and he held the role for three years. The Great Laker became Louie the Laker in 1996, thanks to former athletic director Tim Selgo and others in the athletic department. Louie has gone through many cosmetic adjustments since: from having a 3-foot tall foam head, to what Selgo called a more “presentable” Louie in the late ’90s, all the way up to today’s Louie.
Becoming the Lakers
1965 brought another contest: This time to propose a nickname. Options included Warriors, Bluejays, Archers, Voyagers, Ottawas and the Bruisers (based on Grand Valley’s school colors). The Lakers, a write-in suggestion submitted by student Annie Kate McDonald, won. A decade later, a task force recommended changing the nickname to Sawyers. “The name comes from the lumber mills along the Grand River that comprised Allendale’s largest industry in the 19th century,” a memo read. Yet, faculty and staff members voted to keep Lakers as the nickname.
Louie the Laker/
the Great Laker
While the name “Lakers” was solidified in 1965, it was a while before any mascot would exist. The first iteration of Louie, “The Great Laker,” was born in 1977 and was played by Dan Castle ’80. The reaction to Louie was positive, and he held the role for three years. The Great Laker became Louie the Laker in 1996, thanks to former athletic director Tim Selgo and others in the athletic department. Louie has gone through many cosmetic adjustments since: from having a 3-foot tall foam head, to what Selgo called a more “presentable” Louie in the late ’90s, all the way up to today’s Louie.
Becoming the Lakers
1965 brought another contest: This time to propose a nickname. Options included Warriors, Bluejays, Archers, Voyagers, Ottawas and the Bruisers (based on Grand Valley’s school colors). The Lakers, a write-in suggestion submitted by student Annie Kate McDonald, won. A decade later, a task force recommended changing the nickname to Sawyers. “The name comes from the lumber mills along the Grand River that comprised Allendale’s largest industry in the 19th century,” a memo read. Yet, faculty and staff members voted to keep Lakers as the nickname.
Live from Allendale
Grand Valley’s early entertainment
Despite its rural location, Grand Valley was visited by artists like Bob Seger, Tina Turner, Carlos Santana, the Eagles, Aerosmith, Genesis and more before they were superstars. Alumni Jeff Eckstrom ‘79, who frequently worked as an EMT at the concerts, recalls when country music great John Hartford performed and, incidentally, backed his rental car into the Fieldhouse Dome. As angry officials searched for the responsible party, it was Hartford who confessed. Legend also says that during their October 1974 performance in Allendale, Aerosmith played their hit “Sweet Emotion” live for the first time.
Do you have a memorable experience from a Grand Valley concert?
Send your recollections and photos to [email protected] for a future Grand Valley Magazine story.
Live from Allendale
Grand Valley’s early entertainment
Despite its rural location, Grand Valley was visited by artists like Bob Seger, Tina Turner, Carlos Santana, the Eagles, Aerosmith, Genesis and more before they were superstars. Alumni Jeff Eckstrom ‘79, who frequently worked as an EMT at the concerts, recalls when country music great John Hartford performed and, incidentally, backed his rental car into the Fieldhouse Dome. As angry officials searched for the responsible party, it was Hartford who confessed. Legend also says that during their October 1974 performance in Allendale, Aerosmith played their hit “Sweet Emotion” live for the first time.
Do you have a memorable experience
from a Grand Valley concert?
Send your recollections and photos
to [email protected] for a
future Grand Valley Magazine story.
Legend of the Logo
In 1963, a contest was held to design the college’s official seal. The contest received 60 submissions, but according to legend, the contest’s winning logo was found in the college mailbox — anonymous, without a postmark. The prize money of $100 was donated to the GVSU Scholarship Fund. Students voted to select the school colors of light blue, black and white.
Legend of the Logo
In 1963, a contest was held to design the college’s official seal. The contest received 60 submissions, but according to legend, the contest’s winning logo was found in the college mailbox — anonymous, without a postmark. The prize money of $100 was donated to the GVSU Scholarship Fund. Students voted to select the school colors of light blue, black and white.
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Building the Carillon
It’s hard to imagine a time when the Cook Carillon Tower wasn’t an icon of the Allendale Campus. On November 14, 1994, a dedication ceremony was held for the tower, which was built in the center of campus. It contains 48 bells created by a renowned Dutch bell foundry, Royal Eijsbouts. President Emeritus Arend D. Lubbers was joined by the former prime minister of the Netherlands, Ruud Lubbers, who then received an honorary doctorate of law from Grand Valley.
Following the dedication, a visiting carillonneur from the University of Michigan performed several songs, captivating attendees with the unique tone and style of the bells. In an October 1994 issue of faculty/staff newsletter Forum, music department chair and longtime carillonneur Julianne Vanden Wyngaard noted that while the tower itself was beautiful, “In the purest sense of the term, a carillon is a musical instrument.” The Cook Carillon Tower celebrates 30 years in 2024 and continues to infuse all of campus with music.
The Beckering Family Carillon Tower was added at the Pew Grand Rapids Campus in 2000.
First woman athlete to
receive a scholarship
Despite being a relatively young institution, Grand Valley was the first college in Michigan to award a scholarship to a female athlete: Donna Sass Eaton ’78.
In 1974, 10 years after collegiate athletics first began at Grand Valley, Eaton received the scholarship to play basketball, softball and volleyball. Eaton went on to earn 11 varsity letters. In 1993, she was inducted into the GVSU Athletics Hall of Fame. Reflecting on her scholarship, Eaton said she feels grateful, as it set her on a path to support the next generation of athletes. “I was able to continue on as a coach and share that love of sports with girls and young women for 20 years,” Eaton said.
First woman athlete to
receive a scholarship
Despite being a relatively young institution, Grand Valley was the first college in Michigan to award a scholarship to a female athlete: Donna Sass Eaton ’78.
In 1974, 10 years after collegiate athletics first began at Grand Valley, Eaton received the scholarship to play basketball, softball and volleyball. Eaton went on to earn 11 varsity letters. In 1993, she was inducted into the GVSU Athletics Hall of Fame. Reflecting on her scholarship, Eaton said she feels grateful, as it set her on a path to support the next generation of athletes. “I was able to continue on as a coach and share that love of sports with girls and young women for 20 years,” Eaton said.
The first
international Laker
In 1963, Grand Valley welcomed its first international student, Madjid Ahmadian Tehrani, from Iran. Tehrani’s participation in Grand Valley’s pioneer class was a display of the university’s commitment to a well-rounded education, even in its earliest days. According to Underneath the Arches, a faculty/staff newsletter, the 19-year-old was an award-winning artist in Iran who traveled 6,874 miles to attend Grand Valley.
In 1969, Grand Valley sent its first students abroad to the University of Lancaster in the United Kingdom and established a program in Merida, Mexico. International programs have grown alongside Grand Valley, and in 2023, GVSU hosted 629 international students, and sent 481 Lakers abroad.
Grand Valley’s
first computer
“When I became president in 1969 and arrived on campus, there was no computer,” President Emeritus Arend D. Lubbers said. “One of the first things I wanted to do was to buy one.” Recognizing that the institution was falling behind the curve in terms of technological advancements, Lubbers made the purchase: a computer with 64K of memory, a small fraction of what is found in today’s computers. Grand Valley’s first computer sat in Manitou Hall, and the institution has continued to make technological innovation a priority.
Grand Valley’s first computer
“When I became president in 1969 and arrived on campus, there was no computer,” President Emeritus Arend D. Lubbers said. “One of the first things I wanted to do was to buy one.” Recognizing that the institution was falling behind the curve in terms of technological advancements, Lubbers made the purchase: a computer with 64K of memory, a small fraction of what is found in today’s computers. Grand Valley’s first computer sat in Manitou Hall, and the institution has continued to make technological innovation a priority.
Don Lubbers by Mark Wilkens, oil on canvas, 2001. GVSU Permanent Collection.
Don Lubbers by Mark Wilkens, oil on canvas, 2001. GVSU Permanent Collection.
Let there be art
President Emeritus Arend D. Lubbers left a mark on Grand Valley by implementing a policy that every building should be an art gallery. Recalling a moment when he walked through the corridors of what was then a brand-new Au Sable Hall, Lubbers said, “I thought to myself, this is so sterile. It needs art on the walls.” In the years to come, he personally purchased artwork by alumni and later ensured that all the budgets for new buildings included money for artwork. Grand Valley now boasts the second-largest public art collection in the state of Michigan, behind only the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Don Lubbers by Mark Wilkens, oil on canvas, 2001. GVSU Permanent Collection.
Don Lubbers by Mark Wilkens, oil on canvas, 2001. GVSU Permanent Collection.
Let there be art
President Emeritus Arend D. Lubbers left a mark on Grand Valley by implementing a policy that every building should be an art gallery. Recalling a moment when he walked through the corridors of what was then a brand-new Au Sable Hall, Lubbers said, “I thought to myself, this is so sterile. It needs art on the walls.” In the years to come, he personally purchased artwork by alumni and later ensured that all the budgets for new buildings included money for artwork. Grand Valley now boasts the second-largest public art collection in the state of Michigan, behind only the Detroit Institute of Arts.
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