ESTES

Show spirit, don Scottish tradition

Alum driven by heritage

By: LINDSAY OBERST

Posted: 10/14/08

Being Scottish is about bravery in battle, pride in family and wind-down-below fashion for men.

With the registration of the University's own tartan design by The Scottish Tartan Authority, students, sports fans and Bulldog wannabes can experience tradition through fashion.

Confused by the word tartan? Think of plaid with a history. But don't limit your thinking to shortbread tins or straight-laced plastic dolls.

"The tartan is not just another simple thing," said Walter Estes, a University alumnus who commissioned the red, white and black tartan design last spring with his sister Susan. "The colors and patterns have representation. It's like a coat of arms in a way."

The commercial uses of the design range from paper bookmarks to a lined-up costume for Uga VII to wear on the sidelines during home football games.

"It can be used as a symbol like the arch, the oval 'G' or the bulldog logo," Estes said.

Even though the pattern is registered, Estes, who owns the copyright, said he has no plans as of yet to market the design. From a licencing perspective, the design must obtain a formal acceptance before it can be used with the University logo.

Alan Thomas, the assistant athletic director, said Estes hasn't gone though the process yet beyond presenting the original idea to the Bulldog Club.

Some other schools with their own registered tartan layout include Auburn, Tennessee, North Carolina at Greensboro and The Military College of South Carolina, Estes said.

Designer Ralph Lauren noticed the tartan for Furman University and developed a line of clothing using the pattern.

Not just any institution or family can commission their own tartan. Proof of Scottish heritage is a necessary ingredient for recognition by The Scottish Tartan Authority, which approves hundreds of designs each year.

Finding proof of the University's Scottish heritage wasn't difficult for Estes.

Talking to him is like plunging into the middle of a history class with a passionate teacher. His Scottish knowledge seems to know no bounds, and his cultural interest is what sparked his idea to develop an official design for both his Estes family name and the University.

Dr. Moses Wadell, the fifth president of the University in the 1800s, who Estes said is considered to be the 'savior of the University,' was the foundation for Estes research.

Waddell, whose state historical marker is immediately east of the entrance to the First Presbyterian Church on Hancock Avenue, came to Athens from North Carolina when the school had only seven students. After 10 years, the number of students grew to approximately 100.

The history of Waddell's Scottish parentage and importance to the University provided by Estes was enough for Matt Newsome, who works for the Scottish Tartan Museum in Franklin, N.C., to develop three potential designs for Estes and his sister to choose from.

"In order to be recorded, the new tartan design can't resemble another tartan," Newsome said. "The one created for UGA is traditional, rather than contemporary."

Four yards of the fabric were made in a mill in Scotland, and one of these remains in a museum in Scotland to preserve its design. The other three yards belong to Estes.

"Every tartan is different," Newsome said. "There is no end to the possibilites of design. It's a very satisfying thing to be a part of."