You are standing near "Boxer", a representation of a bronze statue, perhaps weighing 20 lbs, that was gifted to the University in 1896 by Rev. J.E. Walker (a missionary to China) and his mother. At first glance, Boxer may look like a dog, perhaps with the scales of a dragon and the hooves of a goat. Boxer, however, is a Qilin (pronounced chee-lin or ki-rin), a mythical Chinese creature from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). During this period, Qilin were considered good omens, said to bring wisdom and prosperity to whomever they watched over. The student newspaper, "Index", started calling the statue "Boxer" in 1909, and this mysterious dragon-like creature called Boxer has since represented Pacific's spirit, pride and honor for over a century. Boxer replaced "Benny Badger" in 1968 to become Pacific University’s legendary mascot.
The original Boxer statue went missing in 1969 after the last-ever Boxer Toss, a spirited tradition that began around 1900. The Boxer Toss was one way in which one group of students passed on possession of the statue to another group. Groups battled for possession of the statue in good-natured scrimmages that sometimes resulted in bumps and bruises. The scrimmages began after the group in possession of the statue “flashed” or “tossed” Boxer by displaying him somewhere on campus for students to see. After a Boxer Toss, the statue was hidden for stretches of time, sometimes years.
Boxer's head and forelegs have parted company with his torso many times. His plume tail was amputated in a bout years ago and was passed around the alumni. Since Boxer 1 was perhaps forever lost, the statue was recast as Boxer II in the 1980's, but after a few flashes took place with that statue, it too seems to have been 'lost'.
Although the original and Boxer II statues were missing, Pacific’s mascot continued to inspire the university community to embrace its spirit. In 2006, Pacific dedicated a large replica of Boxer. This 7-foot-tall sculpture was made by a local artist from recycled metal. From its perch in Vandervelden Court, Boxer keeps a watchful eye on Pacific’s campus.
In 2018, a group of alumni initiated an effort to recast Boxer once again. Working with the artist who created the Boxer II statue — and with significantly more historical data, including photos and pieces of the original statue — the university commissioned a new incarnation of the statue, which was as close as possible to the original design. Boxer III was funded by the gifts of alumni and friends and was presented at Homecoming 2018. It was created as an art piece, to be kept under lock-and-key at the Tran Library on campus to commemorate the long and storied history of Pacific's unique mascot. A more detailed description and additional information can be found at Three's a Charm! | Pacific Universit and history of Boxer
To log this virtual, (1.) you may post a picture of the statue with at least a portion of you in the foreground, or (2.) facing the front of the statue, look to the immediate left at the building with the three entrances. Note the three sets of building numbers to the left of the middle entrance, and email us the second number of the three number group that begins with the number "1". Failure on one or the other of the above requirements will result in a deletion of your log.
Parking should be available on the street/streets nearby unless something really wild is going on.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.