Athletic Director Tony Barksdale collected feedback from the school community and alumni from all over the world. With the feedback in mind, Tony went back to the original Cub logo from Seymour Bernstein’s time and made several modern enhancements to reflect the current times. This logo serves as CSDR Athletics’ most updated one at this time.
2003-2014
When Len Gonzales, ’91, became Athletic Director in Fall 2001, he saw a genuine need for a new logo from student feedback. the students felt it was time for a change for athletics as well as for the entire school. They wanted a school logo that was modern, eye-catching and “cool.”
Gonzales held off on that concept for some time until he started noticing that many deaf public private schools, as well as colleges, universities and professional teams, were changing their logos to more detailed, three-dimensional-style artwork.
Concurrently, the athletics program had not been making sales with novelties like sweaters and shirts with the old logo, the grumpy cub, although novelites without the picture were selling fast. It made him realize that the logo was out-of-date, so he started contacting companies who specialize in developing new logos for schools.
After receiving several logo ideas, Gonzales showed them to coaches, alumni, staff, parents and students. The new logo with original school colors of scarlet and gray was the overwhelming number one choice. It was presented during several basketball games and at a Cub pride Assembly. Gonzales asked the Associated Student Body Government to take formal responsibility for determing whether or not to adopt a new logo, with the understanding that the existing logo would remain on campus through memorabilia and class gifts. the vote ended in a landslide in favor of the change, 198 to 6. the new school logo began in Spring 2003. The logo change was an impressive movement for the students, as they believe it brings the school community into the 21st century and makes the school a fiercer competitor. Go Cubs.
1974-2003
Seymour Bernstein was instrumental in changing the seven-year-old Cub logo to the third Cub logo (a snarling smile) which remained until Spring 2003. Looking for a design change, Bernstein leafed through numerous catalogs of logos and mascot designs for the Letterman’s Club, which was established in 1971. He came across a design that would continue the fighting spirit of the Cubs. Members of the Lettermen’s Club totally embraced the design idea and voted to change the logo. He presented it to both Warren Fauth, the previous Athletic Director, and Lynn Davidson, the Athletic Director at that time, for their vote of support, then submitted it to Dr. Brill for final approval. Dr. brill endorsed it immediately, after reading Bernstein’s rationale for the spirit ofthe Cubs. Dr. Brill not only allowed the change but encouraged the establishment of the new spirit movement along with that of the Lettermen’s Club. To date, there has been only one modification to the logo, suggested in the mid-1970s by Paul Maucere, ’79, namely, to change the color of the hat from black to red. From 1974 to 2003, the cub logo endured the tests of time and was both well-respected and highly successful.
In the early 1970s, with the approval of Lynn Davidson, Athletic Director, and with the final okay by Dr. Brill, Bernstein came up with a proposal for the new basketball uniforms of red and white with black trim. While Bernstein was upgrading the spirit of the Cubs, he came up with color change, which caught on like wildfire, and the new color scheme was adopted. The uniform did play an important rile in uplifting team spirit, as the Cubs became some of the best dressed athletes in the area by replacing the drab scarlet and gray uniforms. Also, Bernstein chose the red pinstriped baseball uniforms to instill pride in the players.
1953-1974
In the first year, Dr. Brill approached the High School student body with a proposal for a new school mascot. He asked them if they would approve a bear as the official mascot. During his graduate studies at the University of California at Berkeley. In the late 1930s, the university mascot had been a bear. The students considered the proposal and counter-proposed a younger version of the bear–a cub. They reasoned that the school was brand new and small, they were not ready to be considered as full-grown bears, so they voted cub as the new school mascot. Dr. Brill saw their logic and accepted the counterproposal. For the first twenty years, the facial expression of the cub was a charming smile. Molly Merritt, ’59, has credited for designing the first version of a smiling cub that continued until 1974.