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 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.
