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Once More, Cows Attract a Visitor to New York City
Kitra Cahana/The New York Times
Jim Cavanaugh, 90, in New York
Thursday with Borden’s current Elsie. In 1939, Mr. Cavanaugh helped
choose the original, named You'll Do Lobelia 998632, from Elm Hill
Farm in Brookfield, Mass.
By ETHAN WILENSKY-LANFORD
Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company
June 8, 2007 -- Many things draw visitors to New York: Broadway musicals, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, games at Yankee Stadium.
For Jim Cavanaugh, it has always been cows.
It was cows that first brought him from Kansas to New York for the 1939 New York World’s Fair. And it was cows that brought Mr. Cavanaugh, now 90, back to New York yesterday.
“It just looks busier than ever,” Mr. Cavanaugh said yesterday as he stood watching cars go by on the West Side of Manhattan. He figured he had been to the city four times in his life. “I am amazed they don’t have more fender benders, the way they drive around,” he said.
Mr. Cavanaugh was on hand to show off Elsie, a horned Jersey dairy cow who, for about an hour, stood in the hot sun behind a custom picket fence on the sidewalk outside the
New-York Historical Society.
Mr. Cavanaugh was there as part of a ceremony in which the museum was given a photographic plate and a scrapbook that had belonged to Gail Borden, who in the mid-1800s invented condensed milk and helped start a dairy company.
The first time Mr. Cavanaugh came to New York, he was in college, studying animal husbandry at Kansas State Agricultural College. He boarded a bus in Manhattan, Kan., and got off in the other Manhattan. He was chosen to be one of the Gotham Herdsmen who would help handle the cows in a pavilion for the 1939 World’s Fair called Borden’s Dairy World of Tomorrow.
Visitors to the pavilion would see a barn of the future made of glass walls with cows revolving on a mechanism called the Rotolactor as they were being milked. The Rotolactor was a hit.
For about six months, Mr. Cavanaugh showed off the cattle. Many visitors had never seen a live cow. Mr. Cavanaugh told the gullible visitors that the cud the cows were chewing was bubblegum and the pink salt the cows were licking was lipstick.
Elsie had already become such a well-known mascot for the dairy company that visitors would ask for her by name. It was Mr. Cavanaugh’s job to help choose the cow that would become Elsie for the fair.
He had picked a cow from Massachusetts with perky ears, bright eyes and long lashes that had been named You’ll Do
Lobelia 998632. Mr. Cavanaugh recalled escorting her to a dancehall pavilion at the fair, where a bandleader introduced Elsie as “the biggest stripper in town.”
Mr. Cavanaugh and his fellow cow handlers lived on the Upper West Side, where they became friendly with young women studying teaching at Barnard College. He spoke fondly of dancing to Tommy Dorsey’s band at downtown nightclubs.
On nights he was feeling generous, Mr. Cavanaugh said, he spent 25 cents to take his date to her parents’ home aboard the Long Island Rail Road. On other nights, he rode the subway to Flushing, Queens, for a mere nickel.
After the fair, Mr. Cavanaugh went on the road. Even though it was November, he said he was thrilled to ride a boxcar across the country and into British Columbia, returning cows that had been picked to be in the fair to their owners. “Some guys took a cow to Pittsburgh, and that was it,” he said.
He favored hitchhiking and taking buses back home to Kansas over a first-class train ticket the company had provided. On the way, he stayed with cattle breeders.
After World War II, he worked for the Jersey Cattle Club, an association based in Ohio that registered and advocated for Jersey cows over the better-known black and white Holstein breed.
Mr. Cavanaugh’s cow travel took him to Japan, India, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. “This didn’t happen to very many people,” he said of his experiences, which all began with that trip to the city nearly 70 years ago.
As a Roman Catholic who goes to Mass every day, Mr. Cavanaugh has hung a picture of the pope in his home. Next to that photo is a framed picture of another love — Elsie.
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Mr. Cavanaugh, who had traveled from Manhattan,
Kansas, at the 1939 World’s Fair. |
WHOLLY COW!
By HEIDI SINGER
NEW YORK POST Copyright 2007 NYP Holdings, Inc.
June 8, 2007 -- Yes, that was a live cow calmly chewing her cud on Central Park West yesterday - and the legendary Elsie milked the attention for all it was worth.
The curly-horned cutie visited the New York Historical Society to help mark the 150th anniversary of Borden Cheese, and celebrate the donation of founder Gail Borden's historic scrapbook to the society.
"She's a people cow - she likes people," said Hunter Lueckemeyer, who tours the country with the icon, one of its 50 spokescows.
The brown cow chowed on a special birthday cake made from oats and corn.
Smithsonian Acquires Borden World's Fair Materials
Advertising Icon "Elsie the Cow" Visits National Museum of
American History
WASHINGTON, DC -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 06/05/07 -- In a special
ceremony today, the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History
received a collection of personal memorabilia documenting the Borden
Company's participation in the 1939 New York World's Fair in
commemoration of Borden's 150th anniversary. The donation includes
yearbooks, photographs, personal scrapbooks and other materials. A
selection of the Borden-related collection will be on temporary display
in the museum's "Treasures of American History" exhibition at
the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum beginning July 12.
Jim Cavanaugh, Chester
Steen and Herbert Petree were among the 60 "Borden Boys" --
young agriculture and dairy college students recruited to handle the 150
cows at the Borden pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair, "The
Dairy World of Tomorrow." The exhibit was designed as a showcase
for the most modern, sanitary methods used in the dairy industry. These
young men cared for the animals, kept careful statistics on milk
production and demonstrated dairy operations to the public. Today, the
three men once again accompanied "Elsie the Cow" to a major
event, this time in the nation's capital.
"Back then, Elsie was a
sensation, and we knew we were a part of something special and wanted to
preserve our memories," said Cavanaugh, who helped select the first
"real" Elsie after visitors to the World's Fair inquired as to
which of the cows was the one featured in the company's advertisements.
"The Borden brand and
Elsie have not only played major roles in popular culture and
advertising in American history, but they also reflect the importance of
the development of the dairy industry," said Brent D. Glass,
director of the National Museum of American History. "We're pleased
that the personal memorabilia of the 'Borden Boys' will be preserved in
the museum's archives center."
At the World's Fair, Borden
soon discovered that although impressed with the technology on display,
most visitors really wanted to know which animal was Elsie, a fictional
cow featured in the company's recent advertisements. An especially
sweet-dispositioned Jersey was swiftly identified as Elsie and
introduced to the public. She became the focus of the exhibit, where she
and her calf Beulah lived in a luxury stall with framed
"portraits" of her ancestors on the wall. Due to her immense
popularity at the fair, the Borden Company made Elsie its primary
advertising icon, a role she still plays today.
The Borden materials will be
added to the museum's archives center collections, supplementing
existing collections related to the 1939 World's Fair as well as
advertising history.
Gail Borden created the
Borden brand in 1857, when he established the nation's first milk
condensery in Burrville, Conn. A team of artists introduced Elsie in the
late 1930s as part of a project to find a trademark animal for Borden.
Through a licensing agreement in 1997, Elsie and Borden Cheese became
part of the Dairy Farmers of America. DFA is the nation's largest
producer-owned dairy marketing cooperative and food company.
The National Museum of
American History collects, preserves and displays American heritage in
the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military
history. Documenting the American experience from Colonial times to the
present, the museum looks at growth and change in the United States. The
museum is closed for major renovations and will re-open in summer 2008.
For information about the museum, please visit http://americanhistory.si.edu
or call Smithsonian Information at (202) 633-1000, (202) 633-5285 (TTY).
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New York Historical
Society Has a Cow!
Elsie the Cow Visits 'Mooseum' to Mark
Borden's 150th Anniversary with Donation Ceremony - Elsie will Have Her
Cake and Eat it, Too!
NEW YORK, June 7 /PRNewswire/
-- To commemorate National Dairy Month and the 150th anniversary of the
Borden(R) brand, the oldest dairy brand in America, a scrapbook compiled
by and including handwritten notes by Borden founder Gail Borden was
donated today to the New York Historical Society. Gail Borden is the
"Father of the Modern Dairy Industry" and inventor of condensed
milk. A portrait of Borden on a metal printing plate also was presented.
The items will remain permanently at the Historical Society.
The real Elsie the Cow, America's beloved mascot, joined company and
museum officials for a presentation ceremony held on the steps of the
Historical Society. Following the dedication, Elsie indulged in a special
birthday cake made with some of her favorite ingredients -- coarse feed,
Blackstrap un-sulphured molasses, hay and fresh flowers!
Accompanying Elsie (who travels in a 40 foot "cowdillac"
trailer) were her handlers, along with ninety-year-old Jim Cavanaugh, one
of the original "Borden Boys" and one of the men credited with
selecting the first Elsie at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The
"Borden Boys" were 60 young agriculture and dairy college
students recruited to handle the cows at the Borden Exhibit during the
World's Fair. Cavanaugh, today one of only nine surviving "Borden
Boys," maintains personal contact with the close-knit group.
"Borden and Elsie have a rich history, especially within the state of
New York," Cavanaugh said. "It is gratifying and heart-warming
to return to New York with Elsie almost 70 years after the World's Fair to
participate in this momentous event."
Alexander Hoyt, whose family owns the original John Gail Borden homestead
and 100 acres of the famous Borden Home Farm in Wallkill, NY, donated the
items to the Historical Society. The scrapbook was only recently
discovered, while the tin portrait was found many years ago, just after
the Hoyt family purchased the homestead and 100 acres of the famous Borden
Home Farm in 1950.
"Gail Borden founded one of the most enduring brands in American
history and we felt it important that this personal scrapbook showcasing
his thoughts and interests be preserved appropriately," said
Alexander Hoyt. "We're delighted to be able to give these treasures
to the New York Historical Society in recognition of the Borden Brand's
150th anniversary."
"We are pleased to add the Gail Borden Scrapbook and tin portrait to
our Library Collection," said Marilyn Kushner, Curator and Head,
Department of Prints, Photographs and Architectural Collections, New York
Historical Society. "Gail Borden spent much of his life in the state
of New York. He was a scientist, farmer, and businessman who
revolutionized the dairy industry so it is fitting that some of his
personal possessions have found a permanent home at the New York
Historical Society."
"The Borden brand has been a fixture of Americana through parts of
three centuries, 30 U.S. presidents, two world wars, the Great Depression,
and the birth of rock and roll," said Tom Camerlo, Chairman of Dairy
Farmers of America, Inc. "Very few brand names have resonated with
consumers over as many decades."
A Name Associated with Quality
The Borden story began 150 years ago with Gail Borden, who was a
publisher, cattleman, surveyor, civil servant, politician and missionary
in 19th century Texas before he began inventing new ways to preserve
foodstuffs. In 1853, Borden began working on a process to condense milk as
a means of preventing spoilage. Four years later, he established his first
condensery in Burrville, Connecticut, which became known as the Borden
Company.
More factories were built in Connecticut, New York and Maine and the
business experienced tremendous growth during the Civil War when the Union
Army called on Borden to supply condensed milk in large quantities. After
the war, the family established a family farm in Wallkill, New York, just
70 miles north of New York City.
Today, Borden(R) Cheese and Butter are marketed through Dairy Farmers of
America, a farm cooperative of nearly 22,000 dairy families. We are proud
that purchases of Borden Cheese and Butter support hard-working dairy
farmers across the country. Borden Brand Cheese products include
individually wrapped cheese slices, natural shredded cheese, natural chunk
cheese, string cheese and natural cheese slices.
About the New York Historical Society
The Society holds one of the world's greatest collections of historical
artifacts, American art, and other materials documenting the history of
the United States and New York, and is home to both one of the nation's
most distinguished independent research libraries and New York City's
oldest museum. The Society's collections include more than 4.5 million
American history-related documents, paintings, artifacts, and ephemera.
Highlights of these holdings include: an exceptional collection of
materials relating to slavery, the Civil War, and reconstruction; all 435
of John James Audubon's known extant watercolors preparatory for Birds of
America; an outstanding collection of 18th century newspapers;
world-renowned Hudson River School paintings; vast holdings revealing the
social dimensions of early trial history in the United States; an
extensive collection of Tiffany glasswork; and far-ranging materials
relating to the founding and early history of the nation. The strength and
depth of these collections provides a vital foundation for the Society's
research and educational initiatives.
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