A black and white tuxedo cat on a couch

A Cat Named Ezra (and Willard the Turtle, and a Car Called Carl …)

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We asked you to tell us about the pets—and kids—you’ve dubbed in honor of Big Red people and places. Boy, did you deliver!

By Lindsay Lennon

When we put out the call for Cornellians to submit their own Big Red “namesakes,” we knew there would be at least a few Ezras in the mix. What we didn’t see coming: that said Ezras would run the gamut from kids to dogs, and from fowl to feline.

The latter category, in fact, includes one “opinionated rescue cat”—as described by his owners, Maureen McCafferty Stanton ’96, MPA ’97, and Matt Stanton ’96, MEng ’97 (and seen, in all his majestic handsomeness, in the photo above).

The dozens of entries we received—while leaning heavily toward honoring the University’s founder—covered people and places from around campus, plus some prominent alumni.

Ezras, Ezras, everywhere!

A rooster standing on a rock with hens behind him
‘‘I don’t care what anyone sends you—no animal is more handsome than my Big Red rooster, Ezra,’’ says Caroline Feldmeier ’04, BS ’05.
A white dog with a long tongue hanging out inside a car
When Dave Krell ’00 and Margie Hendricks Krell ’98 acquired a white dog, they naturally got him a (big) red collar.
A black cat on a couch
This handsome kitty belongs to John Swanson ’61, BME ’62, MS ’63, and his wife, Janet.
A rooster and two hens
Another Ezra rooster, courtesy of Kathryn Smith ’78, DVM ’84.
A baby girl wearing a red and white Cornell onesie sitting on a beige couch
Though this photo of Zoey Ezra Guertin was taken in 2014, her parents—Kristin Madden Guertin ’05, PhD ’13, and Michael Guertin ’05, PhD ’11—report that she’s still cute as a button.
A dog standing next to an Ezra Cornell statue
Danielle Lipschutz ’16 and Matthew Weiner ’14 named their mini golden doodle “as a daily reminder of our amazing time on the Hill.”
A black tiger-striped cat laying down on the floor
Jeffrey Silver ’86 and Caroline Wellens Silver ’87 adopted their Ezra about a year after they married; their two sons went on to attend Cornell.
A woman and her young adult son stand next to an Ezra Cornell status
Helen Pak-Harvey ’84 and son Ezra Pak-Harvey ’18.
A young chocolate lab on a white chair
A chocolate lab owned by Robert Miller ’62, LLB ’65.
A golden doodle in front of a waterfall wearing a blue harness and red leash
This pup’s human, Manvi Malik, MEng ’16, made him an Instagram!
A black dog on the roof of a building in a city
The first dog for Brian Fuhr ’93 and husband Mat Zucker ’92.
A long-haired tan colored dog.
“He is a very loving pup,” Andreea Beldie, MS ’19, says of her buddy.
Two black and white puppies and a man with a flannel shirt behind them
Ezzie and Andie (now, sadly, departed) belonged to Donna Perine Spinella ’78, MBA ’86.

Take, for instance, a 3-year-old Bichon Frisé named after famed infectious disease researcher Anthony Fauci, MD ’66, who led the government’s response to the COVID pandemic.

“We considered naming him ‘Ezra,’” says the Charlamb family—which includes Cornellians Jayne (Rubenstein) ’91; Larry ’84; Max ’22, MEng ’23; and Abbey ’25. “But given he was a ‘pandemic puppy,’ and given our highest regard for Dr. Fauci, we thought the name ‘Fauci’ was perfect!”

We also received some more obscure references—like Narby the cat.

A white Bichon Frise dog wearing a red Cornell collar.
A tortoise shell cat wearing a teal harness outside next to greenery and a fence
Fauci (left) and Narby.

Alyssa Phelps Lannoo ’17 and Peter Lannoo ’17 named him for Narby Krimsnatch, a legendary “faux Cornellian” whose identity is a prank that has persisted for more than half a century.

“We loved the name because it was unique and true to his character,” says Alyssa. “He reminds us of all the good times we had adventuring around campus.”

David Harding ’72, PhD ’83, a physics major on the Hill, notes that his allergies—as well as his wife’s—preclude his family from having mammals or birds as pets.

Years ago, they acquired a betta fish—and Harding named him Hans.

It’s in honor of Hans Bethe (pronounced “beta”), the Nobel Prize-winning physicist and Manhattan Project member who taught and conducted research at Cornell for seven decades.

A turtle in a glass tank
Willard the turtle.

And then there’s Willard the turtle—dubbed, of course, in honor of Willard Straight Hall, the beating heart of Cornell student life.

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In 2023, Willard celebrates 27 years with the family of Seth Kibel ’96 and Sandy Alexander ’96.

“We’re only half-joking when we say that Willard is probably going to outlive us all,” they note. “Someday, the only ones left will be Keith Richards and our turtle.”

A black sedan parked on a residential street
“Cosmic Carl.”

Some alums have even given Cornellian monikers to objects.

For example, when Tim Lynch ’90 bought a new car, its official color was listed as “cosmic gray”; he and wife Lisa Hazard ’91 named it in memory of astronomy professor Carl Sagan, legendary host of TV’s “Cosmos.”

“Now,” Lynch says, “if I can just manage to drive it for billions of miles …”

Beyond pets and vehicles, a number of you went all in—bestowing Cornellian names on your offspring.

These include Jennifer Leeds ’91 and Robert Hess ’91 who, after meeting on the Hill, named their son for the Arts Quad’s Tjaden Hall.

A side-by-side shot of a young boy in front of Olive Tjaden Hall at Cornell and a shot of the same boy as an adult in front of the building.
Little and big: Tjaden Hess ’20 outside ... Tjaden Hall!

Not only did the couple regularly visit campus and snap photos of young Tjaden in front of the building throughout his childhood, he ultimately matriculated on the Hill himself.

Tjaden Hess ’20 graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences—earning a double major in math and computer science, in close proximity to his namesake hall.

And now, feast your eyes on a ...

Big Red menagerie!

A small long-haired black dog biting a red Cornell hockey stick shaped dog toy.
Laura Magid Lapidus ’88 and Darryl Lapidus ’89 dubbed their miniature schnauzer Bailey Shea—after Bailey Hall and Shea Stadium, former home of the NY Mets.
A dog staring into the camera with his tongue out
Statler, rescued by Maureen McCafferty Stanton ’96, MPA ’97, and Matt Stanton ’96, MEng ’97.
A black and white tuxedo print kitten.
Kathleen Cantwell McCormick ’16 adopted Moakley (named for Jack Moakley, former head of Big Red track).
A black and white shaggy dog
Nellie, a golden mountain doodle whose nickname is Nell Bell “after the clocktower,” according to Kayti Stanley ’18 and Liad Hare ’18.
Two beagles on the grass
Joanna Krol, DVM ’03, named her beagles Baker and Bili after Cornell’s Baker Institute and Bilinski Lab.
A brown teddy bear with a red bow around the neck, a red nose, and red ears
Yaamini Jois ’27, who is set to matriculate at ILR, named this teddy bear Ives (after Ives Hall).
A black chihuahua mix wearing a green harness and an orange leash with flowers behind him
Banfi was named for the restaurant (the Statler’s Taverna Banfi) where his human, Anna Huang ’18, and her partner had their first date.
A toddler girl wearing a red and white striped dress standing in front of a glass window with trees and buildings behind her
Lisa Phillips Hochstein ’10 and Brett Hochstein ’08, who married at Sage Chapel, named their daughter Lily Sage.
A black cat with a white chest stands on a chair
Nisha Drummond ’14 reports that kitty Lynah is a great hockey-viewing companion.
A man and two young girls stand with a dog on the steps of a large building
Margaret Lesch Dietz ’08, MAT ’09, and Jason Dietz ’08 named their pup after Baker Lab—the building where their courtship began.
Two spaniels in the snow
Sage (left) and Ivy live with Lauren Kunkel Cook ’99 and Joseph Cook ’01.
A young tan colored cow with a pink rope around its snout.
Kelly Bliss ’27 named one of her Jersey dairy calves Nelly (Cor-Nelly) because “she was born the same day I was accepted.”

Top: Ezra, beloved feline of Maureen McCafferty Stanton ’96, MPA ’97, and Matt Stanton ’96, MEng ’97. All images provided.

Published May 31, 2023

Do you have your own Big Red namesake?

Comments

  1. Sam Dean, Class of 2012
    2 Jun, 2023

    A few years after I graduated, I surprise mailed a Furby that I had named “Ruloff” to a house full of friends. After their initial reaction of “Why would you send us a Furby??”, they started trading off hiding Ruloff in strange places around the house – like dangling from a shoelace off the showerhead or face-up in someone’s underwear drawer – to surprise people. Whoever found him had to hide him next.

    To my knowledge, he never lived up to his namesake, but he did scare the bejeesus out of me on a Homecoming visit when I went to replenish the toilet paper in one of the bathrooms, and did not expect him to be there.

    Reply
  2. Trina Young Barton, Class of 1998
    18 Jun, 2023

    I’ve had two Women’s Swimming & Diving teammates name pets “Teagle” after Teagle Hall.

    Reply
  3. Sheila Mapes, Class of 1978
    18 Jun, 2023

    My husband (Leigh English, Ag. ’76) and I (Sheila Mapes, Hum. Ec. ’78) named our camper van “Big Red” — because we met at Cornell and because the van is big and red!

    Reply
  4. Saskia D'Aguilar, Class of 1987
    18 Jun, 2023

    We have a gorgeous rescue cat named Ezra. He’s a peacemaker in our menagerie of cats and dogs. Saskia Schutte D’Aguilar ’87, Dionisio D’Aguilar ’86 & MBA ’87, Alexander D’Aguilar ’17, Oliver ’21.

    Reply
  5. Julie & Peter Schuck, Class of 1999
    16 Jun, 2024

    Our cats who we found as kittens in Ithaca were Ivy and Treman. MS ‘97 & PhD ‘99

    Reply
  6. Cindy Rodriguez, Class of 2019
    16 Jun, 2024

    We have an amazing lab mix Ivy, the day we rescued her we unfortunately had to take her to the Vet School’s ER. With the help of an amazing team, she was able to come out on the other side of a brutal fight with Parvo. In honor of her courageous spirit, perseverance, and grit—the name Ivy seemed quite fitting.

    Reply

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