Rices Owls

A century ago, the owl was chosen as the official animal mascot of Rice University, which was founded on land three miles from the then small (80,000 population) city of Houston, Texas. Over the years, the University has grown, as has the city which has now has a population over two million and although being now near downtown, the centuries old trees remain. In the late winter of 2011, alumnus Robert Flatt noted a family of owls on campus and he decided he would chronicle their life cycle with the "eye of Audubon and the patience of Job", as University President, David W. Leebron so aptly put it. Coming to the campus early every morning for months Flatt overcame his own physical challenges (Parkinson's Disease) to capture the spirit of these magnificent birds with photography, and in doing so also captured the beauty and the spirit of Rice University.