Dr. Henry Crapo, a former faculty member in the Department of Pure Mathematics, donated the bronze boar to the Descartes Foundation at the University of Waterloo in 1978.
When the boar arrived on Campus he was an instant hit with staff, faculty, and students alike. His rugged good looks and modest demeanor earned him pride of place in the Modern Languages foyer where he quickly became adopted as the Arts Faculty mascot.
Through the 1980's the boar, named Porcellino, waited patiently for a permanent home. He became a good luck symbol, and his shiny nose is a testament to the many who rubbed it for luck. He presided over formal gatherings and secret trysts with equal discretion and poise.
An unattached boar, even one weighing 700 pounds, is always a target for pranks. In the fall of 1991 he was kidnapped by Engineers and forced to masquerade as a dog, which he did with his usual flair and inimitable panache. After this a search began in earnest for a permanent site.
In 1991-92 on behalf of the Dean of Arts, Ann Roberts of UW's Fine Arts Department began to look for a permanent site which would be physically and aesthetically suitable and which would reflect the wishes of the University community. The task passed to the Works of Art Committee under Tony Urquhart, and a site was chosen -- in front of the Modern Languages Building, in the crux of the ramp. The Arts Alumni Group took up the cause to help fund the siting, with the result that in June of 1994 the Boar will be officially placed, as part of the UW Alumni Affairs reunion weekend celebrations.
This online display is based on a 1994 exhibit by the UW Library and the Arts Alumni.
