Duke's headstone cementing his life sits inside the entrance of the Vaughn Library. Duke's funeral was held in 1962 by the TJC campus community. Photo by Britton McCool.
Since being introduced in 2022, Harry the Hawk has embodied school spirit at Tyler Junior College. But before Harry became the college’s official symbol, another beloved figure who captured the campus’ heart existed—a gentle giant named Duke. Taken under the care of TJC students and faculty members, Duke the dog could be found napping around campus daily. But over the last 70 years Duke’s memory diminished until it has almost completely faded away. Today only a few remember Duke, and even fewer know the story behind the dog who was once beloved by all. What happened to Duke, and why did his legacy vanish? The answers may be more elusive than anyone realized.
Duke poses with the Apache Guard in 1960. Photo taken from the Apache 1960 and 1962 yearbooks.
Born in 1956, Duke was a stray dog who wandered onto campus one day. At one point during his wandering, the Apache Guard and other students began to feed him. Over time, he cemented his presence on campus and was adopted as the mascot of TJC. Unfortunately, every dog has his day and Duke was no different. In 1962 Duke chased a female dog into the road and was struck by a car, according to TJC Archive and Special Collections Tiffany Thompson. A funeral was held to commemorate Duke’s life on campus, and he was buried behind Jenkins Hall. Evidence of this service can be found on page 86 of the 1962 Apache Annual Yearbook.
In the early 1960s, Duke’s headstone was removed from behind Jenkins during ongoing construction at the time.
“Again, they didn’t renovate Jenkins, that outside area till much much much later and that’s when they moved the headstone,” said Dr. David Crawford, TJC professor of theatre.
10 years later after his initial burial, Duke’s headstone was found in storage and placed in the Vaughn Library on Display
“We found that headstone in storage somewhere and they decided to come put it in the library and it’s just been there since, and it’s been there for maybe 10 years or so,” said Lief Pierson, Librarian, Reference and User Services.
This headstone in the library has sparked an array of questions and curiosities about Duke’s life on campus. Besides this plaque and a scarce amount of photos, almost no one alive knows about Duke the dog or the true impact he had on the campus community. Because of this lack of knowledge about Duke’s life, stories about him have made their way to the surface.
Duke’s funeral was held in 1962 by the TJC campus community. Photo taken from the Apache 1960 and 1962 yearbooks
“I’m sorry, but I know absolutely nothing about the dog, other than his tombstone is in the library,” said Jeff Owens, professor of History.
“He is still buried out behind the Jenkins building as far as anyone I have spoken with knows.” Miranda Sewell Director of Alumni Relations, and Library Technical Assistant-archives and preservation Tiffany Thompson.
So far there have been no advancements made to Duke’s story, however, the existence of other possible furry campus companions has made its way to the surface.
“The thing is you’ve had cats and you’ve had dogs, and what happens on campus is that people feed them and once you feed them, you got them. The dogs… this was their home,” Crawford said.