Lee Roy's Impact on the Community

Known for the legacy he left on the Trinity tennis program, as a student Butch Newman ’65 was also one of the few that was allowed to interact directly with Lee Roy when the tiger made appearances on campus. Reminiscing on his time as a Trinity student, Newman remembered the sense of pride he felt in seeing Lee Roy at football games. A member of the Bengal Lancers, Newman recalled surrounding Lee Roy’s cage as it made its way around the stadium during games, a privilege that was only awarded to the men in the club, and the school spirit and pride that came with the position (Knudsen, 2001). Tasked with accompanying Lee Roy to each of his appearances since 1953, the Lancers would continue to do so until his retirement. For its duration, the role was only given to the select few members of the Bengal Lancers.

Lee Roy’s impact reached beyond the confines of campus; his presence was known throughout the city of San Antonio as well. Years after his death, alumni recounted the impact Lee Roy’s presence had on the community – in a 1978 Trinitonian article discussing past Homecoming celebrations, alumni Kaye Adkins Arnecke ‘56 and Carolyn Cloud Greer ‘54 explained how the family-like community of Trinity was one of its greatest strengths. According to Greer, that sense of family expanded to include the city of San Antonio during Homecoming, in part due to Lee Roy’s presence:

No one else around had a wild animal for a mascot. He was the only tiger in this areathat I knew of… The fact that he was such a novelty, particularly for young children probably had something to do with why so many came to see him at the Homecoming parade. (Anderson, 1978)

Lee Roy connected the university with the community to an extent that had not been reached before, connecting students with alumni and supporters.