Andy Lagoe ’92 and Gil Hodges ’92 wanted to come up with a way to show how proud they are to be Mustangs.
The duo, owners of Gilligan’s Ice Cream along with partner Mike Lagoe, decided the best way was to do what they do best. So they churned up an ice cream flavor contest at SUNY Morrisville.
“We thought, why not reach out to our alma mater to see if they would want to collaborate and create a flavor for Morrisville,” Andy Lagoe said.
SUNY Morrisville students, faculty, staff and alumni submitted descriptions of their flavor ideas either online or on paper ballots throughout the month of March.
Suggesting both name and flavor combinations that would best represent Morrisville, Gilligan’s narrowed the list of 168 submissions to three finalists. Next, they created one batch (five gallons) of each flavor to share during Morrisville’s first-ever Giving Day held in April, where the college community sampled and voted for their favorite.
Fittingly, “Mustang Pride” — vanilla ice cream with graham cracker crumbles and cinnamon sugar banana bits — was deemed the winner and became the official ice cream of SUNY Morrisville. Close behind were “S’moresville” (chocolate ice cream with marshmallow swirl, graham cracker pieces and Nutella) and “Mustang Mint Madness” (mint ice cream with mint Oreo pieces, chocolate flakes and fudge swirl). No one left the contest empty-handed. All who had a hand in creating the final flavors received $50 gift cards to Gilligan’s Restaurant in Sherburne, New York.
Mustang Pride was a hit when Gilligan’s debuted it with free samples during commencement in May. Those looking to try the new confection can purchase it on campus at the Pit Stop convenience store and as a feature “flavor of the month” throughout various times of the year at Smooth Jazzy Joz, as well as at Gilligan’s, Nelson Farms Country Store and Dougherty Pharmacy in Morrisville.
