William Goose, NIU's Most Famous Alumnus

William Goose, NIU's Most Famous Alumnus

From the Northern Illinois University website:

William Goose, a famous (infamous according to some) resident of NIU’s East Lagoon for more than 15 years was a campus legend at the time of his death in 1981. The cantankerous goose spent most of his time near the lagoon, but also frequented Lowden Hall where the secretaries proved to be a soft touch for handouts of bread and other food. After many complaints about his personality and his droppings, he was temporarily removed to NIU’s Lorado Taft Field Campus in Oregon, Illinois. But a “Save William the Goose” campaign resulted in his return to campus in 1979.William was declared “NIU’s #1 Alum” by the Alumni Association and this designation permitted him to fly down to the football field during an NIU Homecoming game.

William met a tragic end when he was found dead under the College Street bridge on April 13, 1981. Foul play was suspected and his death made headlines across the nation. A student later confessed that he had been meditating near the lagoon, was startled by William, and struck the unofficial campus mascot with a stick. A memorial plaque was erected near the lagoon on November 18, 1983, that reads – “William Goose NIU’s Honorary Student.”

William was quite the fixture on campus the year that I went to NIU; it was impossible to miss him. Wikipedia lists the other famous alumni, of which I'd pick Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future) and Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson and Krusty the Klown, as the top two.

And of course, our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of yesterday's shootings.

Comments

[dmarks]

This is a great blog.

I wonder if he was related to Garfield Goose?

I've been to DeKalb several times, and have driven past the university.

Fowl play indeed.

[Tom McMahon]

Garfield Goose, King of the United States! Yeah!!