Looking Back
THE BEGINNINGS OF
MO THE HAWK By Meaghan Drury ‘12
M
ohawk’s beloved Mo the Hawk has had a few makeovers through the years, but where did his story start? Recently, we caught up with Rick Sydor ‘69, to shed a little light on the beginnings of Mo the Hawk. In winter 1967, when Mohawk College was established, things were not so different than they are today. The college was spread across Hamilton, ON with several campuses such as those on Dundurn Street, Main Street and King Street. In the early days of the college, a school newspaper was created, Opus. Rick was one of the editors, responsible for sports coverage. Hockey and basketball were the only two varsity sports the college competed in at the time, so to fill the pages and showcase more athletes, Rick had to get creative. “I created a column where Mo the Hawk flew around to the many campus locations sharing stories from all the intramural teams,” explains Rick.
Rick Sydor '69 receiving his 50th Anniversary diploma.
14 INTOUCH | Spring 2020
After leaving Mohawk, Rick assumed the character he created would end with him. He went on to live and work in Toronto for a few years, then to Calgary for about a decade, finally settling in California in the mid-1980s. Throughout this time, he stayed connected to a few former classmates and faculty, returning to Mohawk to celebrate his 25th class reunion in 1994.
