Some Badgers were lucky enough to see pink plastic flamingos flock to Bascom Hill for the first time in 1979, thanks to the Pail and Shovel Party! Check out these memories from those who witnessed this iconic prank!
If you weren't around to see the flamingos on the hill for the first time, dont fret—you have another chance! The flamingos will flock to Bascom Hill for Fill the Hill on Friday, October 25th!
The day that Bascom Hill got 'flocked' was my first day of classes at the UW. I was concentrating on where I had to go next as I walked from my dorm, Chadbourne Hall, to my class. I looked up at the hill and stopped in my tracks! But everyone else kept walking past me and seemed to ignore the obvious crazy scene of pink covering the hill. I thought, "Is this typical of life at the UW"? I think that was the best memory of my start at UW–Madison. I knew that I was going to love this place.
Nancy Koch Kusch ’81
It was my freshman year at UW Madison, and I lived in Elizabeth (Liz) Waters dorm. I had an early English class on the Hill and will never forget walking around Bascom Hall from the back to see the sea of pink flamingos! I looked around, but it was so early that no one else was there. I soaked in the view before heading off to English Lit and smiled to myself, thinking I was going to love going to school at Madison!
Maggie (Lord) Sedoff ’84, MBA’89
I was the Assistant Director for Administration at the Madison Academic Computing Center (now part of DoIT) and on my way to an early morning meeting in the Grad School Business Office in Bascom Hall. As I turned the corner of Bascom I was greeted by the sight of those many, many flamingos dotting the hill. I claim I saw a Professor Flamingo, complete with a mortar board, facing the student flamingos. It was quite, a sight and I hurried into Bascom to relay the news to my Grad School colleagues. It is a memory that always brings a smile. Thumbs up to the Pail and Shovel Party.
Elton Waack BBA’61, MS’70
I was a freshman in 1979 when Bascom Hill was covered with pink flamingos. It made a big impression on me along with other Pail and Shovel pranks like the Statue of Liberty on Lake Mendota and receiving an official-looking university map in the mail before I even arrived on campus. The letter informed me that to simplify things for students, all the 134 buildings on campus had been renamed Van Hise Hall. Enclosed was a campus map with all the buildings numbered, and next to each corresponding number, it said Van Hise Hall.
Dave Staiger ’86
I remember the Pail and Shovel party had a rally on the mall, filled the fountain with pennies, and gave people pails and shovels to scoop them up. They proposed that the UW change the name to the University of New Jersey and charge in-state students out-of-state admission. As I walked down State Street, I saw this mass of flamingos on Bascom Hill. Absolutely hilarious. Jim and Leon were so irreverent and funny, as were the Boom Box parade and Statue of Liberty. Great memories.
Roger V Bunting ’82
Don't forget the origins—the Pail and Shovel Party's "platform" was to take all the UW Student Council funds and distribute them in a giant mound of pennies students could take with a pail & shovel.
It was "Animal House" times, unserious free-lancing where jobs were plentiful, and you didn't have to study hard. Their party won because they didn't take student governance seriously, because the University didn't. Finally, the other part were religious right zealots, which was even less serious for student representation for 40,000 students.
How do I know? I was a student from Madison, and my mom was a lifelong UW Hospitals Nurse & a UW graduate also.
Brian Mann, BSME '83
Looking back, I have come to think how fortunate I was to have an early morning class that day in my final semester. I was walking up from the backside of the hill, and vividly remember coming around the side of Bascom Hall and seeing this wondrous, almost fantastical sight. Over a thousand pink flamingos standing at attention in the morning light. By the time my class in the Humanities Building was over, the flamboyance of flamingos had mostly dissipated. What an interesting and amazing time to be a Badger!
Kristy Aserlind '79
Do you have a story to share related to the Pail and Shovel party or Fill the Hill? Submit your memories here!
