My favorite baseball cap has the number 47 printed on it.
But it’s not what you think.
Long before Donald Trump launched his campaign to return to the White House as the 47th President of the United States, the number 47 held special meaning for me and the graduates and current students of Pomona College.
The number 47 is considered sacred to anyone who calls themselves a Sagehen. (Yes, that’s our university’s mascot. Don’t laugh.)
The number 47 has mysteriously recurred throughout its 137-year history at this private liberal arts college in the quiet, leafy town of Claremont.
example? Exit 47 on both Highways 10 and 210 to Pomona College. The first graduating class in 1894 had 47 students on campus. 47 railings.
I’m sure there are other examples – maybe 47 – that I’ve forgotten.
The number is so closely associated with the school that stores on campus sell hats, T-shirts, glasses and even baby socks emblazoned with “47.”
That’s why it’s so frustrating to see crowds at Trump rallies waving signs with the number 47 on them. Trump’s online store and Amazon.com also sell baseball caps, like mine, with the number 47 sewn on the front. Trump himself often wears a MAGA hat with the numbers 45-47 printed on the side. His campaign platform was called “Agenda 47.”
It feels like Trump and his followers stole my favorite number.
I’m not alone.
Pomona College alumni created a Facebook page — 47 Society — dedicated to showcasing examples of numbers that appear in everyday life — restaurant bills, airline boarding passes and football scores. One of the issues discussed by members of the 47 Association recently was Trump’s election.
One graduate wrote on the page: “Well this is probably the worst thing to happen to our beloved number, probably the worst thing ever.”
The author of this article, Hugo Martin, is wearing his beloved “47” hat.
(Courtesy of Hugo Martin)
Another alumnus wrote that he scraped a sheet of 47 stickers from the back window of his car. “I don’t want anyone to think I voted for him.”
An alumna from the Class of 1996 messaged me that she had been considering getting a “47” tattoo, but had changed her mind since Trump’s election. “Maybe after a while I will,” she said. “But not anytime soon.”
Terril Jones, a 1980 graduate and former member of the Pomona College Alumni Association, said he worries wearing a No. 47 hat in public could be seen as a political statement rather than an endearment to his alma mater .
“For the Sagehens, this is a precious number that they have long considered theirs,” he said. “I do feel like the Trump campaign chose it in a way that makes it difficult for everyone who loves 47 to present it.”
I’m also worried that my beloved 47 hat will be misunderstood. But my love for Pomona College won’t let me throw it away like others.
Jones said he felt the same way.
“I hope this phenomenon will disappear in four years’ time, if not sooner, and that the number 47 will not be associated with any particular politician,” he said.
