Every day is a good day to learn more about UC San Diego, but we've chosen a particular one to spread knowledge with our feature called "Triton Tuesday." Each Tuesday, get the inside scoop with fun facts about Triton athletics, the UC San Diego campus and community, and our beautiful home of San Diego, California, in a "Did You Know?" format.
 
In this week's Triton Tuesday segment, we explore the connection between UC San Diego and children's author, artist, and cartoonist Theodor Seuss "Ted" Geisel, better known by the pen name "Dr. Seuss."
 
Most famous for the classics, The Cat and the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Green Eggs and Ham, and Horton Hears a Who, Ted Geisel wrote many of his stories perched in a studio atop Mount Soledad's Encelia Drive in La Jolla, Calif.
 
The Geisels first visited and fell in love with San Diego in 1928, where Ted Geisel and his first wife Helen Geisel spent time at the Valencia Hotel that overlooks La Jolla Cove. It wasn't long until the two became La Jolla residents (1948) and active members of the community.
 
Helen Geisel passed away in 1967 in which Ted Geisel then married Audrey Stone Dimond who restored Dr. Seuss's desire to give back through his brilliant cartoon creations.  
 
The Geisels' commitment to children's literacy is remembered not only on the campus of UC San Diego, but throughout the city of San Diego as well.

UC San Diego Campus

Geisel Library, Dr. Seuss Collection, Dr. Seuss and The Cat and the Hat sculpture, annual birthday celebrations, Audrey's Cafe, The University Home

Among the obvious, Geisel Library is located in the center of UC San Diego's campus, standing at 110 feet and eight stories tall. Besides its fascinating spaceship-like exterior, it is home to the Dr. Seuss Collection that consists of nearly 20,000 items ranging from original drawings, sketches, proofs, notebooks, and other memorabilia.
 
UC San Diego's library became the official storage place for the authentic documents after Ted Geisel's death in 1991. Audrey Geisel had wanted Seuss's materials deposited in one location. Today, the collection is rather protected with exhibitions only taking place during the summer sessions and the month of March (Dr. Seuss's birthday).
 
Although, it wasn't until 1995, that the brutalist and futurist structure was renamed Geisel Library. Audrey Geisel donated $20 million to further support her and her husband's devotion to improving children's literacy through fun and creative animation. It was just the beginning for the generous donations.
 
 
Located on the west side of Geisel Library, a life-size bronze statue of Ted Geisel posed with The Cat and the Hat, sculpted by Audrey Geisel's daughter, welcomes visitors from all over.
 
Every year, on March 2, UC San Diego hosts a birthday celebration for Dr. Seuss. The day also marks Read Across America Day. Festivities range from cake cutting, an inflatable Cat in the Hat, and Seussian musical entertainment for all students and Seuss fans.
   
On March 3, 2016, campus opened a new café on the north end of the second floor of the library. It was named none other than Audrey's Café.
 
 
In addition, the private residence of the Chancellor of UC San Diego was renamed Audrey Geisel University Home, in honor of the widow's charitable contributions to a heavy-duty remodeling project that took place from 2010-13.
 
In 2018, UC San Diego and the San Diego community would mourn the loss of Audrey Geisel – a strong supporter of education, literacy, the arts, and UC San Diego, just like her husband.
 
 
San Diego Community

The Legends Gallery, The Old Globe, Lorax Tree, Hotel del Coronado, San Diego Central Library (Sanford's Children's Library)

The Legends Gallery in La Jolla, Calif. carries limited-edition Seuss artwork. It is one of two local authorized galleries selling the acclaimed Seuss pieces, featuring work with limited color, suggesting it was completed during Seuss's moments of relaxation. 

The Old Globe in Balboa Park hosted the premiere production of Dr. Seuss's The Lorax, while childhood-favorite Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a regular during the holiday season.

It is said Dr. Seuss's The Lorax "Truffula Tree" was inspired by a real-life Monterey Cypress planted adjacent to The La Jolla Cove Hotel at Ellen Browning Scripps Park. It collapsed in June of 2019 after standing tall for an estimated 80-100 years. However, the significance of the tree lives on through Geisel's environmentally-focused children's tale.
 
 
As part of their philanthropy, the Geisels served on the boards for the San Diego Fine Arts Museum, La Jolla Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Now, the distinguished name lines various donor walls including those listed above, as well as La Jolla Playhouse.

But it doesn't stop there! Seuss's painting "I Dreamed I Was a Doorman at the Hotel del Coronado" is held at The Del, depicting the Victorian architecture and oak-paneled interior that make the building one of a kind. 

Lastly, one can immerse themselves in the Seuss world in downtown San Diego's Central Library. The first floor, The Sanford's Children's Library, is lined with Seussian characters and is one of two libraries in the world licensed to do so. 
 
PRIOR TRITON TUESDAYS
1992 Dream Team Finds a Home at Main Gym (Sept. 1)
UC San Diego Home to Award Winning Faculty (Sept. 8)
UC San Diego Athletics Hall of Fame (Sept. 15)

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program begins a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide more than 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. In addition, 83 Tritons have been named Academic All-Americans, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.