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Strength and vision are symbolized by the Griffin, the fabled beast with the
body and hind legs of a lion and the head, wings, and claws of an eagle. In
medieval heraldry, the animal's image was used as the embodiment of strength.
The Griffin's symbolism has been closely connected
to Purdue University since the late 19th century,
when it first appeared on the seal of the university.
In 1895, Abbey Phelps Lytle, head of the
art department, designed the first seal to
incorporate the Griffin image. In Lytle's
design, the Griffin supported a quartered
shield by one claw and an unrolled scroll
in the other.
The seal was used for some 15 years, until
1909, when President Winthop E. Stone asked
Charles H. Benjamin, dean of engineering, to
revise and simplify the original Lytle design. The
new design featured a smaller, tripartite shield, and
the Griffin was given a lighted Roman lamp of learning held
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high in one claw. The Benjamin design was used widely for 60 years, although -- like the Lytle
design -- it was never formally accepted by the University's Board of
Trustees.
The current seal, with its stylized Griffin's head and wings, was introduced
during the University's centennial in
1969. It was the first design to be formally
accepted by the Board of Trustees. Designed
by Professor Al Gowan, formally of the
Department of Creative Arts, the current
seal features the Griffin's head rising
from behind a three-part shield, which
signifies three stated missions of
Purdue University:
Education,
Research,
and
Service.
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