Florida Under Blizzard Warning From Michigan Tech
Watch for a Blizzard in Florida next week. Blizzard T. Husky, that is.
Blizzard, the mascot of the Michigan Technological University Huskies, is going to watch a space shuttle launch at Cape Kennedy on Monday, Nov. 1. On Tuesday, he hopes to tour the Space Center and visit Ron Jon's Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach. Living in the snowy Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Blizzard has never gone surfing, so he's very excited.
What lured Blizzard to Florida?
"Michigan Tech has a strong aerospace program and Aerospace Enterprise," explains the furry fellow. "And since Michigan Tech is known for science and technology, I figured I should at least have a paw in one of the final space shuttle launches."
On his way to the Cape, Blizzard plans a stop in Chicago. He especially wants to visit Grant Park (but he promises to clean up after himself).
On the way back to Houghton, where Blizzard is a familiar character and a favorite of Yoopers large and small, the big, friendly Husky hopes to make appearances at Georgia Tech, the renowned golf course at Augusta, the Michigan Tech Research Institute in Ann Arbor, and the five-mile-long Mackinac Bridge that connects the lower peninsula of Michigan with the UP.
Blizzard has been Michigan Tech's mascot since he was named in a contest in 1997. His middle initial, T, stands for The. In other words, he is Blizzard The Husky.
As a sports teams' mascot, naturally Blizzard attends all the Michigan Tech Division I hockey and Division II football, basketball and soccer games, but he is a busy dog even when the rink and field are dark. He helped McGruff the Crime Dog teach about crime prevention during National Night Out in August; he went bowling with students and their parents at Family Weekend; he rode a small sled on skis during Homecoming; and he posed for a "wash your paws" poster, part of a campus campaign to prevent the spread of flu virus last winter.
As far as Blizzard can determine from the folks at NASA, he is the first mascot ever to watch a shuttle launch and tour the Space Center. He claims to be very excited. At least we think that's what that WOOF meant.
Michigan Technological University (mtu.edu) is a leading public research university developing new technologies and preparing students to create the future for a prosperous and sustainable world. Michigan Tech offers more than 130 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering; forest resources; computing; technology; business; economics; natural, physical and environmental sciences; arts; humanities; and social sciences.
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