GW's River Horse
Legend has it that the Potomac was once home to these wondrous beasts.
George and Martha Washington are even said to have watched them cavort in
the river shallows from the porch of their beloved Mount Vernon on summer evenings.
Credited with enhancing the fertility of the plantation, the Washingtons believed
the hippopotamus brought them good luck and children on the estate often attempted
to lure the creatures close enough to the shore to touch a nose for good luck.
So, too, may generations of students of The George Washington University.
Art for wisdom,
Science for joy,
Politics for beauty,
And a Hippo for hope.
A Gift to the George Washington University Class of 2000
August 28, 1996
**********************
The George Washington University, Washington, DC
John D. Zeghs – Chair, Board of Trustees
Stephen Joel Trachtenberg – President
Damian A. McKenna – President, Student Association
John G. Boswell – Chair, Faculty Senate Executive Committee
Marker is at the intersection of 21st Street, NW and H Street, NW on 21st Street, NW.
Courtesy hmdb.org