Exploding Aardvark

What Ohio State University celebrity’s death would inspire a Facebook page with more than 800 members? An albino squirrel named Whitey, who had become a campus legend.

“Whitey is the South Campus mascot,” said Tim Hoock, 19, a freshman business-administration major.

Hoock and two of his friends were excited to see a Cooper’s hawk in the middle of the South Oval on Friday afternoon, clutching what they thought was a rabbit.

But their mood quickly soured.

“I thought it was really cool until I saw that pure white fur,” said James Greenebaum, 18, a freshman biology major. “I screamed, ‘Oh my God, it’s Whitey!’”