This appeared in their February 2nd, 2007 Issue:
New Mexico State University
Mascot: Pistol Pete
What's happening: After a five-year break, the mascot is packing heat
again.
The details: Apparently the 10-day waiting period is up for the Aggies'
rough-and-tumble mascot, Pistol Pete. After the terrorist attacks of
2001, the trigger-happy mascot laid down his guns. When the university
redesigned him in 2005, the now-clean-cut cowpoke wielded a lasso
instead of his characteristic smoke wagons. In an area famous for its
gunslingers (Billy the Kid was sentenced to death in nearby Mesilla),
the decision didn't sit well with students.
"It almost seemed like they didn't realize what sort of an emotional
connection there was for students, the alumni, and the community with
the old mascot," says Aaron M. Villalobos, a student at the time who is
now a university spokesman.
The new mascot is a product of discussions with marketers as well as
local rodeo riders about authentic cowboy wear. The new Pistol Pete is
a student in costume, sans foam head, and most importantly, well armed.
How exciting! My first job, and I've already been quoted in the Chronicle for Higher Education as a "University Spokesman!"
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