British hard rock band Def Leppard is scheduled to play Verizon Arena in North Little Rock on May 11, and one Central Arkansas resident has an idea for how the band can spend some of its downtime.
Cary Tyson, a program officer at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, has started an online petition at Change.org, suggesting that the rockers take a little time to show their support for an area school -- Arkansas School for the Deaf.
Why there? ASD's athletic mascot is the Leopards, and pictures of the school's football field scoreboard have been making the rounds on the Internet for years.
"What better place for a band photo?" wrote Tyson. "Help me convince the band to take a band photo in front of the scoreboard by signing this petition. Bring attention to a school that deserves it and does great work as well as a great band."
As of Sunday evening, Tyson's petition had nearly 100 signatures from supporters, with many wondering why it hasn't happened already.
According to ASD's website, the school has been using the name Leopards since at least 1941. The band, which formed in 1977, was not named after the school, although, in its first incarnation, it was called "Deaf Leopard" before they tweaked the spelling in an effort to avoid being confused for a punk band.
That's one heck of a coincidence.
This story originally appeared as part of Second Thoughts in the March 7, 2016 edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Click here to read the full column.