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UAFS mascot, Numa, dressed as a mail carrier stands atop a pile of letters
Alumni | Featured | UAFS MailbagApril 19, 2024

UAFS Mailbag: Happy Birthday, Numa!

Written By: Ian Silvester

In a back-to-back edition of the UAFS Mailbag, I wanted to extend a very happy birthday to our mascot Numa.

According to university lore, Numa got his name after the Mangani word for ‘lion,’ deriving from Edgar Rice Burroughs’s novel, “Tarzan of the Apes.” Mangani is a fictional language created by Burroughs and used throughout his popular books of the 1920s – the same time Fort Smith Junior College was being formed.

Lions have commonly been used to symbolize courage and strength. There is no better animal to be connected to UAFS to show the courage, strength, and resilience of every UAFS student. Numa was a perfect fit.

Every April, Numa celebrates an extraordinary day – his birthday – and all of us are invited.

This year’s birthday party will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, on the campus green. Numa isn’t one to ask for gifts but said if so inclined, you can give to any projects on April 25 and 26.

To celebrate Numa’s birthday, there will be enough food to feed a pride of lions thanks to First Security Bank, which will grill some burgers and hotdogs. No party is complete without a sweet treat. There will be cupcakes, Andy’s Frozen Custard, and Kona Ice.

There will also be activities to keep the party going.

Be sure to get a picture with Numa, get crafty with beaded crafts, jump around on inflatables, challenge yourself on a mechanical bull, aim to dunk your friends in a dunk tank, and be one of the first 200 to tie-dye a T-shirt.

Numa’s party is gearing up to be a blast, and it wouldn’t be possible without our Alumni Office and the Campus Activities Board. Don’t miss out on wishing our favorite lion a happy birthday next week.

As always, if there is anything you’d like to see in an upcoming UAFS Mailbag or if you have a question you’d like answered, email the Office of Communications at communications@uafs.edu.

Until next time,

Ian

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