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The Sheldon Orabs. Once unduly deemed the worst mascot name ever by the Des
Moines Register, the Orab remains an enigma. Striking fear into the hearts of all schoolastic opponents, for they,
like many people, do not know exactly...What is an ORAB??
Official Definition
Officially, an Orab is a cohesive fusion of two brilliant
and powerful colors, ORANGE and BLACK, to create one
magnificent and indestructable word:
ORAB
Other Definitions
From elementary school banners: "Orabs are Readers!"
To high school battle cries: "Orabs are Winners!"
The interpretations can be vague, perhaps intentionally...
Dictionary and Encyclopedia Definitions
Alright, the word Orab does not appear in the dictionary or encyclopedia, only adding to the intrigue.
But there are some very similar words that may shed some light on the mystery.
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orb (noun)
- One of a series of concentric transparent spheres thought by ancient and medieval astronomers to revolve about the earth
and carry the celestial bodies.
- A globe surmounted by a cross, used as a symbol of monarchial power and justice.
- An eye or eyeball.
orbed, orbing, orbs (verb)
- To shape into a circle or sphere.
- Archaic. To encircle; enclose.
- To move in an orbit.
[Middle English orbe, orbit, from Old French, from Latin orbis, circle, disk, orbit.]
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ERAB (acronym)
Endoplasmic Reticulum Associated Binding (protein)
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oreb
raven, a prince of Midian, who, being defeated by Gideon and put to straits, was slain along with Zeeb (Judg. 7:20-25).
Many of the Midianites perished along with him (Ps. 83:9; Isa. 10:26).
Industry
ORAB was established in 1990 and has developed into a group located in Gävle, Stockholm,
Göteborg, Borlänge Örnsköldsvik and Timrå. The ORAB Group specializes in industrial piping installation for the processing
industry.
Geography
As we all know, the true home of the Orab is in Iowa, however, here are some interesting leads
as to the possible heritage of the name.
Mt. Orab, OH
This small village on the Kentucky border of southern Ohio is only a short 888 miles away
from Sheldon. Coincidence?
Oran, Algeria (just one letter away from Orab!)
A city of northwest Algeria on the Gulf of Oran, an inlet of the Mediterranean
Sea west-southwest of Algiers. Built on a site occupied since prehistoric times, Oran was captured by the Spanish in 1509
and by the Turks in 1708. It was occupied by the French in 1831 and held by Vichy France during World War II. Allied troops
liberated the city in November 1942. Population: 490,788.
Nairobi, Kenya (mystically hidden in the word Nairobi is Orab!)
The capital and largest city of Kenya, in the south-central part of the country.
Founded in 1899, it became the seat of government for British East Africa in 1905 and capital of independent Kenya in 1963.
Population: 1,162,189.
Conclusions
With mystical overtones of magical spheres, all-seeing eyes, powerfully bonded proteins and ancient
princes, the Orab has a great history with roots digging possibly as far away as Kenya and Algeria. From the heights
of Mt. Orab, OH to the rolling plains of Northwest Iowa our heritage continues in Swedish industrial piping, and of course,
award winning athletics and academics. We are orange and black. Our opponents are black and blue. We are
readers. We are winners. We are ORABS!!
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