Joseph Guadalupe Garcia
In the quaint and lushly decorated living room of the Smittcamp Alumni House on the Fresno State campus, Joseph Guadalupe Garcia stood off to the side looking through the 1950 Fresno State yearbook. Fully engaged in reminiscing, he excitedly pointed out the buildings he spent the most time in, such as the Daily Collegian office and the library at what is now the Fresno City College campus. He also noted friends and colleagues he met at Fresno State, many of whom became prominent members of the local community.
“It’s fun to watch people look through their freshman year yearbook,” said Dr. Honora Chapman, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State. “Freshman year is when they are most excited to be in college and to get involved.”
As a small group of Garcia’s friends and family members arrived, they intermingled with university representatives. They spoke of Garcia’s many accomplishments as an artist, journalist and Fresno State alumnus, albeit one who put his own degree on hold for his country and his family. It didn’t take long for Garcia and others to notice the small bronze Bulldog sculpture on the bookshelf and start gathering to take photos with it.
Garcia explained that his first drawing of the iconic four-paw Bulldog logo was in 1981. Over 40 years later, it remains the primary logo for Fresno State athletics.
In addition to being a talented illustrator, he is also an accomplished sculptor.
“In 2003, they had the Save Mart Center coming up. So they asked if I would take it and create a sculpture exactly like the picture and the logo. And that’s one of them,” he added, gesturing to the small Bulldog sculpture on a shelf.
His Bulldog sculpture was enlarged and turned into the 10-foot tall, 4,200-pound bronze Bulldog that greets patrons in the Shehadey Lobby in the southeast corner of the Save Mart Center, the largest on-campus arena on the West coast that serves as home to Fresno State basketball. The bronze Bulldog was created by EMI, Inc. and funding was spearheaded by banker Dennis Woods, an English alumnus and Top Dog Alumni Award recipient.
Just after noon on March 21, Garcia received a Certificate in Art from the College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State and the College of Arts and Humanities while wearing a letterman’s jacket with his famous four-paw Bulldogs logo on the sleeve and a necklace with a photo of his late wife in her graduation regalia.
Left to right: Dr. Honora Chapman, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities; artist and sculptor Joseph Guadalupe Garcia; and art and design professor Holly Sowles.
“It’s such a remarkable day because we are all here to celebrate Joseph Guadalupe Garcia, an amazing alumnus of Fresno State,” said Chapman, beginning the formal ceremony.
Garcia graduated from Edison High School in 1949 and enrolled at Fresno State College as an art major. While at Fresno State, he worked as the lead artist for the Daily Collegian student newspaper. Just as his journey through higher education began, the Korean War broke out. Heeding his country’s call, Garcia served in the Air Force for four years. While in basic training, he continued to take art classes at Kirksville State Teachers College, now Truman State, in Missouri. Later stationed in Germany, he ran the Air Force Serviceman newspaper, filling multiple roles as a writer, editor and artist.
In 1955, Garcia returned to Fresno State and picked up his role at the Daily Collegian. He also earned a letter as a student-athlete on the Bulldogs football team. On campus, he met the love of his life, Lorraine Gregorio, whom he married in June 1957.
With about six months of college remaining, he cut short his education to support his new family and allow Lorraine to complete her degree. He was hired as the art director at KJEO-47 television station, a job he kept through the mid-1980s.
For many years, Garcia worked as the primary artist for the Bulldog Foundation, which led to his design of the iconic Bulldog logo.
“You created the identity of the university,” said Chapman during the certificate ceremony. “That is so powerful.”
He also created well-known logos for local businesses, including Mi Rancho Tortillas and Johnny Quik.
Even without his degree, Garcia was later tapped to teach cartooning courses at Fresno State. His connection to campus continues with his children, who graduated in the 1980s, his granddaughter Kharma, who graduated in December, and his grandson Jeremiah, who is currently a student.
Still an active, award-winning artist, Garcia has also written and illustrated several books and is currently finishing a book reminiscing about his early days at the Daily Collegian.
In 2015, Garcia stood before a large crowd with his face on the big screen at a men’s basketball game at the Save Mart Center. There, he was honored for his artwork and presented with a letterman’s jacket with his iconic logo sewn to the right sleeve, a tribute to his time as a student on the football team. Now, the Certificate in Art pays tribute to his earned experience and contribution to his country, community, family and alma mater, Fresno State.
