Chris Banyas
Staff Writer
The papier-mâché Bengal that once stood outside the front of Reed Gym was recently removed, reportedly to prevent further damage costs incurred to repair it regularly.
The statue was removed July 9 and has since been in storage behind facilities services but is looking to find a new, permanent home on campus.
Whether through Facebook, online forums or other avenues, people collectively voiced their concern for the Bengal asking why it was removed and when it would return.
According to K.C. Felt, executive director of alumni relations at ISU, “Whatever we do, we want to try and have something that we can recognize for homecoming and then put a timeline on it. We want to engage all of the constituencies and the community as well. It’s a landmark in Pocatello.”
The Bengal, affectionately known as “Benny,” was originally constructed by Charles “Chuck” Koval sometime in the late 1950s or early 1960s as a papier-mâché float in the ISU Homecoming Parade for the College of Technology.
Like most parade floats, Koval’s Bengal was not designed to endure years of exposure to the elements. However, after the parade it found a very permanent home outside Reed Gym.
Over the years the upkeep costs required to maintain the Bengal grew into the thousands of dollars annually.
The Bengal was covered and recovered in everything from plaster to cement in an attempt to hold it together. Metal rods were also used.
“The primary reasons are twofold for the removal,” said Felt.
“Number one, the safety issue. Kids and people are constantly climbing on it and it was not a stable structure. Number two, with the revamp of campus [the area] that Bengal currently rests is not going to be available. It’s going to be a part of a parking lot when they change the traffic flow.”
Felt continued to explain that there are several potential forms the Bengal could take upon its return.
First, the Bengal could be repaired and placed under a protective layer of Plexiglas. Second, a fiberglass mold could be cast of the Bengal in its current state. Third, a mold could be cast from Koval’s original design.
The new home of the Bengal has not yet been decided, but there is a strong chance it would end up on the west side of Reed Gym, facing Cadet Field and the Rendezvous Complex.
According to Felt, tradition is very important to those involved in the process and they would like to keep the Bengal as close to its original location as possible.
