Why Temple flags are around Philly, beyond the main campus

The closets of many Philadelphians have at least one piece of apparel, stationery, or tiny memorabilia of their college alma mater. After all, collegiate pride is a quintessential part of American culture. At times, those reminders can transcend the walls of your home.

Seeing multiple red flags with a white T in the middle, a reader reached out to Curious Philly, The Inquirer’s forum for questions about the city and region, wondering: Why are Temple’s iconic T flags found all over the city, sometimes far from its campus?

It would be fascinating if this were an undercover operation for Temple University to remind the city of its presence, or perhaps a marketing strategy, but the answer is more a point of pride.

“Simply put, Temple Owls are everywhere,” said Jonny Hart, Temple’s spokesperson.

The North Philadelphia campus might be its main and most widely known location, but the university has venues in Center City, Ambler, Rome, and even Japan. The T flag is displayed near these areas.

Temple also runs a health system, with practices, hospitals, and instructional buildings citywide and in eastern Pennsylvania, adding to the count of T flags.

They are not necessarily the only ones putting the flag out there.

The school has 380,894 living alumni, 208,987 of whom live in Philadelphia, according to Hart. Some may choose to display the Temple flag on their homes, cars, clothing, and accessories, Hart said, making it possible even more are farther from the main campus.

“The bottom line is that there are many Temple Owls doing important work throughout Philadelphia, the region, and around the globe,” Hart said.