Crowd Hails Elephant From Widener Steps; Toss Coins for Sonita

About four hundred men of Harvard cheered an elephant named Sonita last night from the steps of Widener Library. They also threw $24.33, one MTA token, and one D.C. transit token on those steps to rent her Friday, when she will race under the colors of the Harvard Elephant Racing Association in Fullerton, Calif.

As cries of "We want the elephant," mounted, Joseph M. Russin '64, informal chairman of the HERA, strode up the steps of Widener several minutes after the season's first outdoor Glee Club concert.

To a lively audience that shouted after nearly every sentence. Russin explained that Sonita will trundle in a series of eight races as part of the first U.S. Intercollegiate Elephant race at Orange State College in Fullerton.

Someone in the crowd bawled: "How 'bout daily doubles?" but Russin plunged on, revealing that Sonita's trunk measures eight feet. This caused another member of the audience to ask: "What are her other measurements?" Most of Russin's reply was drowned out by laughter, but the audience did hear that she is not married and cheered lustily.

Russin described the HERA's victory strategy as getting the eight other elephants in the race to follow Sonita by "introducing her to all of them on a personal basis before it starts."

"But we do need money," he announced to a chorus of hisses and a piercing elephant call. Then the audience started throwing coins. Someone led a cheer for Sonits. Russin led a cheer for Harvard.