Shoulder patch for UC Santa Cruz. The sports teams at the University of California at Santa Cruz have an unusual mascot that can be used as a stumper question in trivia contests with excellent results in many parts of the country. Ariolimax californicus is a common sight on the redwood-enshrouded campus at The City on the Hill overlooking the north end of the Monterey Bay. The mascot has a more frequently used name: The Banana Slug. They are so common, in fact, that the early denizens of this Northern California UC campus universally chose the Banana Slug as their school’s mascot. Later University administrations attempted by vote or by fiat to change the mascot to something more traditional with results invariably disastrous for those who attempted such deviation from tradition. The UCSC Banana Slug fencers, or just ‘the Slugs’, as they are more commonly known, used this patch on their non-fencing arm to alert all and sundry of their team affiliation. The battle-cry of “Go Slugs!” is commonly to be heard at local competitions where current – and former – Santa Cruz fencers are present. From the Charles Selberg collection. Date uncertain.
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