It's Nifty! Scavenger Hunt Winner A Maryland Alumnus

Grand Prize Winner Russell Meyer '99 with "Maryland My Maryland." He's a winner! Maryland alumnus Russell Meyer '99 entered the Fear the Turtle Sculpture Scavenger Hunt for one simple reason - he wanted to win one of the turtle sculptures. Of course so did his wife, Stephanie. So they spent three full weekends this past September running around the Washington, D.C. region getting their pictures taken with all 50 of the nifty turtles. A little friendly competition never hurts anything! In fact, Terp fans turned out in droves to enter the scavenger hunt contest - that required at least 30 pictures be taken to qualify for prizes that include 150th Anniversary t-shirts, Keeping the Promise: The Rise of the University of Maryland DVDs, and copies of MARYLAND: Reflections on 150 Years. Terry Flannery, Maryland's assistant vice president for marketing and communications, says the entire university community is thrilled with how the contest turned out. "My congratulations to all of you. This contest was a lot of work, but boy is it paying off! To have 274 people go get 30 or more photos - and 106 eligible for the grand prize based on getting all 50! 7073 Photos submitted! I'd say it couldn't have gone better." A drawing was held the week of October 2 to determine which of the 106 entries would win the grand prize. The first name out was Russell Meyer - who will get to take home "Maryland My Maryland" - a sculpture by artists Barbara and William Gordon. It was sponsored by the University of Maryland's Student Government Association, and was displayed in front of the Stamp Student Union on campus. "Just Be Persistent" A geologist by training, Russell Meyer graduated from Maryland in 1999. After working in an environmental lab for four years, he is now employed as a geologist for a Gaithersburg, Maryland engineering firm. Meyer and his wife first saw the turtle sculptures last April during Maryland Day, the university's annual open house. He read about the contest in the alumni newsletter and saw a story about it on WUSA TV (Channel 9) in Washington, D.C. Meyer says the best part about entering the contest was just looking at all the "Fear the Turtle" sculptures. He says his two favorites are "Terps Basketball Legends" that was located outside Cole Field House on campus, and "Celestial Event Turtle" that spent its six months on display in front of the Computer and Space Sciences Building. See a video of Russell Meyer with all 50 sculptures! Meyer, who lives in Burke, Virginia, says he plans to put "Maryland, My Maryland" out on the deck of his duplex. And yes, his wife is cool with that. He says if anyone ever has a chance to enter a contest like this in the future, he would suggest, "Just be persistent, and go out and do it. We found it easier to do a whole bunch in one day." He also says it helps to be enthusiastic. After all, it's "the thrill of the hunt" that makes something like this fun. Russell Meyer will receive his grand prize during the "Fear the Turtle Auction" event on the evening of October 19 at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center.

06150