By Debi Swick-Cruse
Potomac State College
KEYSER - The Homecoming theme for Potomac State College of West Virginia University is “The Year of the Catamount” and rightly so since the school’s mascot turns 80 this year.
The Catamount will be recognized with a celebration ceremony to be held on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 5 p.m. at the main entrance to the campus, where the Potomac State Catamount proudly welcomes all to its lair.  The community is invited to share in the celebration.  
According to a 1929 column in the school’s newspaper, the Pasquino, Baker Smith, a staff writer for the newspaper, suggested the name Catamounts, meaning “cat of the mountains,” which seemed appropriate to him. 
A headline in the Oct. 23, 1929, edition proclaimed “Potomac Catamounts will meet Shepherd College…” and that is how Potomac State became known as the Catamounts.
And just what is a Catamount?  According to the Web site, “Facts About Catamounts,” a
Catamount is also known by several other names, depending on what region you live in.  Other names include: cougar, puma, panther, mountain lion and painter.
The idea of placing a Catamount at the entrance of the campus was first discussed in 1991 when Dr. Joseph Gratto was president of the college. The pedestal was completed in 1992; however, the appropriate statue was not so easy to find and the matter was shelved. 
In 2006, Dr. Henry Falkowski, professor of chemistry at the college, and his wife Terry, an adjunct instructor in chemistry, spotted a black panther statue at a garden shop and decided to take some pictures to show to Campus Provost Kerry Odell. 
With a few minor changes and detailing, the Catamount soon took its rightful place atop the brick pedestal that fall, thanks in part to Patricia Harman, who will be honored at Homecoming with the Distinguished Service Award.  Harman has made multiple donations to the college, including a contribution to the mounted statue at the campus entrance which welcomes students and guests to “Catamount Country.”
Following the celebration ceremony, the annual Alumni Awards Banquet will be held in the Davis Conference Center.  Reservations are required for the banquet and should be made by Friday, Sept. 18, by contacting Libby Nichols at 304-788-6870 or 1-800-262-7332 or at LMNichols@mail.wvu.edu.  The cost for the dinner is $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under.  
For a complete schedule of Homecoming events, visit the Alumni page at www.potomacstatecollege.edu.