How Harlan the Great Pyrenees became a beloved icon to the Mizzou community

Before Bill Stackman was the University of Missouri's Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs he had heard of Harlan — about the comfort and care he had brought to a community and campus alike.

The reputation preceded him.

"I thought he was a staff member," Stackman said. "People would tell stories about how they hear he's would be on campus and they would go find him."

Stackman learned later that Harlan was a Great Pyrenees. When Stackman began working in Columbia, he saw firsthand what Harlan brought to the MU community.

"Harlan was a big man on campus," Stackman said. "A lot of people just love animals."

Harlan was a renowned part of the Missouri campus, along with fellow Great Pyrenees Harry, who passed in 2016. Harlan died Tuesday at the age of 11, his owner Cris Wood announced on social media.

Harlan's passing led to an outpouring of remembrances from former and current students, as well as Columbia residents who saw him walk the streets.

Harlan is remembered best as a part of the community who would brighten a student's day by either lounging in Speakers Circle or strolling through campus.

"Sending prayers of comfort to his human family," Michelle Clark Zimmerman wrote in a Facebook comment under the Tribune's story sharing the news of Harlan's death. "Thank you for sharing him with our MU students."

Stackman said he knows that students have begun planning vigils and even have begun talks of erecting a statue in Harlan's honor.

A change.org petition to build Harlan a statue, started by Christian Marble, had over 3,370 signatures as of Saturday, while a GoFundMe for the same purpose has also been set up.

"By creating a statue of Harlan in speakers circle, students will forever be able to see the how and happiness that came from Harlan and Cris and it will forever cement their legacy into Mizzou's history," the online petition's description reads.

Stackman worked in the field of mental health with students for 40 years. Before coming to the University of Missouri, he was at the University of Notre Dame.

He has still seen the healing presence an animal can bring to a group of people, especially a campus of college students.

Stackman noted how many students come from homes where they had a family pet. That's why Harlan resonated so greatly with the community.

Not only was Harlan easily seen, but his friendly nature reminded those students of the best parts of being near their pets.

Stackman has seen firsthand how great of an effect animals have on the local community.

When he moved to Columbia, he began looking for assistance walking his two-year-old pet dog Mack. Stackman put an inquiry out to the campus, and he said 175 students responded this summer volunteering to walk him.

Stackman took the first 10 students that reached back out to him in the fall. Now, Stackman has someone to walk Mack every morning Monday through Friday, and in the afternoons, too. He pays them $10 an hour, but Stackman sees how even just an hour to two with a pet can affect a student for the better.

"It was hard for students leaving their pets," Stackman said. "Just to walk my dog for an hour just made them feel more connected."

Harlan was more than connected to MU. He was ingrained in the community and became a part of the campus culture.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, MU officials urged everyone to social distance by asking students to stay at least about two Harlan lengths apart, which equaled about six feet. An "emotional support sign" of Harlan could also be found on campus.

"I've had many students reach out to me wondering what they can do or what the campus can do," Stackman said. "People are definitely feeling the loss of Harlan."

Stackman said students can get that unconditional love from pets. They provide strong emotional support, and there's plenty of science to support that.

Harlan transcended that science. He was an icon and beloved by the student body, past and present. The outpouring of remembrances is proof he will be missed severely.

"People are attached to Harlan, because of the role he played in their hearts," Stackman said.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: How Harlan the Great Pyrenees became a beloved icon to the Mizzou community