photo by: Shawn Valverde

The sheet is pulled off of a new bronze statue of Baby Jay outside the Jayhawk Welcome Center on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.

The University of Kansas Alumni Association on Friday unveiled a new Baby Jay statue in front of the Jayhawk Welcome Center.

The bronze depiction of KU’s beloved junior mascot was made possible by KU alumni William E. Roskens, Brenda Roskens Dicus and Barbara Roskens Blount. Their gift is a memorial tribute to their nephew, Daniel Torson, who graduated from KU in 2010. “We are deeply grateful to the Roskens and Dicus family for honoring their beloved Jayhawk — and our cherished KU traditions — in such a unique and enduring tribute,” Alumni Association President Heath Peterson said.

The Jayhawk Welcome Center, where the statue sits, is a $21 million, 3,000-square-foot building that opened this year on Oread Avenue.

The unveiling occurred on KU’s annual Traditions Night, which is an opportunity for newly arrived students to learn about Jayhawk history and traditions like the school song and waving the wheat.

The bronze Baby Jay was created by sculptor Alison Caswell, of Troutdale, Oregon. Her previous commissions include bronze mascots for the University of Oregon, Michigan State University, the University of Southern California and Boise State University.

The Baby Jay tradition originated on Oct. 9, 1971, when Baby Jay hatched from an egg during halftime of the KU Homecoming football game. Amy Hurst, then a KU sophomore, constructed the first mascot with assistance from the Alumni Association.

photo by: Shawn Valverde

KU Alumni Association leader Heath Peterson speaks at a ceremony for the unveiling of a new bronze statue of Baby Jay outside the Jayhawk Welcome Center on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.

photo by: Shawn Valverde

The band plays at the unveiling of a new bronze statue of Baby Jay outside the Jayhawk Welcome Center on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.

photo by: Shawn Valverde

The sheet is pulled off of a new bronze statue of Baby Jay outside the Jayhawk Welcome Center on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.

photo by: Shawn Valverde

Baby Jay poses with a new bronze statue outside the Jayhawk Welcome Center on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.