Maudine Ormsby was a
Holstein
Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...
cow that was at the center of one of the most notorious pranks in U.S. college history. In the fall of 1926, Miss Ormsby was named
Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia.
...
Queen at the
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
. Rosalind Morrison won the
Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia.
...
Queen election, but because only 10,000 students were enrolled and 12,000 votes had been cast, it was clear the election had irregularities. Rosie, as she was known, was named Queen, but being an honorable woman, withdrew when the fraud became apparent. Runner-up Maudine Ormsby, a mystery candidate nominated by the College of Agriculture but not enrolled as a student, became
Homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia.
...
Queen.
Maudine Ormsby was crowned Queen and viewed her subjects as part of the homecoming parade. According to OSU, however, she did not attend the dance held in her honor. Rosalind Morrison Strapp, would joke the rest of her life that her
epitaph
An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...
should read, "But for Maudine, here lies the queen."
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
The History of OSU Homecoming (includes a photo of Queen Maudine Ormsby)
Homecoming Queen-winning cow remembered in Union
Frequently Asked Questions about The Ohio State University: Who was Maudine Ormsby?
*"Homecoming Queen-winning cow remembered in Ohio State U. Union." ''UWIRE Text'', April 1, 2010. ''Gale General OneFile'', https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&u=tplmain&id=GALE, A284962704&v=2.1&it=r&sid=GPS&asid=dcf3800c . Accessed February 2, 2020.
References
Ohio State University Spirit and Traditions
Individual cows
Individual animals in the United States
{{cattle-stub