Once upon a time, in the Lehigh Valley of eastern Pennsylvania, there was a little greyhound named Amos. He did not like his name very much. His parents named him after John Amos Comenius, a Moravian bishop, who lived in the 1600’s. John Amos Comenius is an important historical figure, known as “The Father of Modern Education.” Amos’s parents thought Comenius was a cool dude, but Amos still thought that “Amos” was a dorky name.
Like many young greyhounds, Amos wanted to be a famous athlete when he grew up. His favorite sport was running, and he did run fast. So fast that when he grew up, he made the big time and became a professional racer at a track in Florida. However, like most professional sports figures, Amos’s racing career was short-lived.
Amos went back to his hometown of Bethlehem and tried to get a
job. Alas, he couldn’t find one. He couldn’t work in a
restaurant or a hospital because, well, he WAS a dog after all! He
couldn’t get a job at the Steel Mill because the Steel Works
had gone belly up and shut down while he was in Florida. And, he
couldn’t get a job as a dealer at the new Sands Casino,
because he doesn’t have any thumbs!
So, Amos went into The Family Business. Amos is the fifth generation of greyhound mascots for Moravian College. Amos the 1st came on the scene in the 1960’s, but met an early demise as the result of a tragic accident involving fatal injuries to his papier mache head. Amos the 2nd , a.k.a. “Mo-Momentum”, mysteriously disappeared one night after a football game, never to be heard from again. Amos the 3rd, our current Amos’s grandfather, was the first to be on the mascot scene for an extended period of time. He was the first to have a professionally-made costume, although he eventually succumbed to terminal embarrassment from The Plague of Bad Design. An unfortunate, elongated, convoluted, generic, decidedly non dog-like snout bearing a permanent sneer earned him the nickname “Amos the Rat.”
Amos the Greyhound #4 took over the business in 1999. At first he
struggled with coming to terms with the ill fortunes of his
ancestors, and with overcoming his puppy dog Caspar
Milquetoasted-ness, and also had difficulty fully embracing
his character. However, after much counseling and direction under
Mascot Guru “The Emperor of Fun and Games” Dave
Raymond, the original Phillie Phanatic, Amos graduated from Mascot
Boot Camp as Mascot First Class and was ready to face his fears and
become his own man, er, dog. Amos served long and well,
and was retired at a basketball game in December 2009. He is
staying active in his retirement – you might spot him
volunteering for his favorite charity, Pocono Greyhound Adoption,
which sponsors Moravian's four-footed mascots: Lightfoot, Shiloh,
and Kiowa, appearing in the East Stroudsburg St. Patrick’s
Day Parade, and entertaining children at the annual Moravian
College Community Holiday Luncheon at the Cathedral Church of the
Nativity in Bethlehem.
He passed his enthusiasm and pride in representing Moravian College to his successor, Amos the 5th, our current mascot. The New Amos made a spectacular debut, winning the 2010 SportsTalkNY Mascot Madness competition with more than 8,100 votes from 30 states, and repeated as National Champ in 2011.
Amos’s main attributes are his enthusiasm, followed by his comic ability and ability to work a crowd. He is making himself vulnerable by putting himself out there into the hands of a physical trainer and dance coach to bring his character into the “Being-ness That IS Amos.” His dream is to be the very first personality to be re-styled in the new nationally syndicated “Mascot Makeover Reality TV Show”. Amos likes hanging out with other great big giant furry, albeit smelly, friends and getting in touch with his inner goofiness.
Amos still doesn’t like his name very much, but has a better appreciation for his namesake, John Amos Comenius. In fact, Amos thinks that Comenius may also be “The Father of Modern Mascotry” as well -- just listen to what Comenius had to say back in the 1600‘s: “Who is there that does not always desire to see, hear, or handle something new? To whom is it not a pleasure to go to some new place daily, to have some fresh experience? In a word, the eyes, the ears, the sense of touch, the mind itself, are, in their search for food, ever carried beyond themselves. Much can be learned in play that will afterwards be of use when the circumstances demand it.!”
You guys decide……!