War’s over, schools tell Rebel mascots

To an alumnus of a school that only recently gave up its own retro  mascot, these pinbacks from the collection bring back memories, if not exactly nostalgia.

Top and bottom: Cape Fear Academy, founded in 1967 in response to desegregation of New Hanover County public schools, called on imagery typical of the time.

In 2005, at the request of students, the school dropped the name Rebels in favor of Hurricanes. “Their concerns were not that they were personally offended by it,” explained Headmaster John Meehl, “but that in some public venues they felt shy about saying the mascot’s name.”

Middle: By contrast, here’s a Confederate of  the “Southern gentleman” persuasion. Acknowledging its biracial student body, East Surry High School in Pilot Mountain shed  Rebels in 1974. Interestingly, the old Rebel seems not nearly as defiant as the new  Cardinal, who could moonlight as a phone app.