Ranger Man Update/Origin of "Lakewood Rangers"

[Michael Deneen]

As some of you may recall, there were plans a couple years back to design a new logo for Lakewood High School. Those plans eventually stalled and now it appears the idea has been dropped.
So the current "Ranger Man" will be there when LHS re-opens next year.

I always thought the "Ranger" name was a bit silly, since there have never been cowboys or cattle ranges in this area.

However, when I recently learned the origin of the "Rangers" name, it suddenly made a lot more sense.
The name was chosen by student vote during the 1920s.
The term "Ranger" was an homage to park rangers. This was logical because Cleveland was "the Forest City" and much of land around Lakewood was still undeveloped.

"Ranger Man" didn't come along until the 1970s. By then popular culture was filled with images of western/Texas Rangers. Rangerman became a "cowboy", more akin to The Lone Ranger than to Ranger Rick.

[Meg Ostrowski]

He would certainly be less intimidating if updated to depict his origin. Keep the silhouette but switch out the hat, badge, expression, bandanna and boots and you'd have an easy mascot makeover that would be familiar, historically accurate and more consistent with the Early Settler above the Civic.

Photoshop anyone?

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[Patrick Wadden]

When did his guns disappear? 1990's? Didn't he used to have guns in his holsters?

[Michael Deneen]

When did his guns disappear? 1990's? Didn't he used to have guns in his holsters?

Yes, he used to have guns. It was either the 90s or early 2000s.


Question for pre-1970s LHS alums:

What was the LHS logo during your years?

[Matthew Lee]

Gary Rice wrote a nice article in the Observer a few agrees ago about the logo:

http://lakewoodobserver.com/read/2009/1 ... art-of-the

[Peter Grossetti]

Am I the only one? ..... but when I hear "Ranger' this is what comes to mind. (I've always been a pickup kind of guy!)

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[Michael Deneen]

Am I the only one? ..... but when I hear "Ranger' this is what comes to mind. (I've always been a pickup kind of guy!)

I thought you were going to go Chuck Norris.
He would make a good logo.



Plus, he has lots of great workout equipment.