Dooley,
the " spirit" of Emory, is well known on campus for
his grand entrances with entourage at major student events each
year. The identities of the different students who have portrayed
Dooley over the years is perhaps Emory's best kept secret. Dooley
always takes the first name of the current Emory president; during
President James W. Wagner's tenure, Dooley is referred to as
James W. Dooley.
Dooley originated as a skeleton
in a biology lab in 1899, writing anonymous observations on campus
events for The Emory Phoenix, the student literary and news publication.
He took the name Dooley in 1909 and continues to take the first
name of the current Emory president.
From 1909 to 1941 he took a
brief vacation, but, in 1941, was resurrected when Emory's struggling
Press Club staged the first Dooley's Frolics, with $23 in the
treasury.
Emory's mace, which is carried
in formal academic processions, contains a likeness of Dooley.
The spirit takes human form on special occasions, but his actual
identity is never known, hence the concept of "Emory's best-kept
secret". Dooley's most famous quotation comes from one of
his letters written in 1909: |
