Danny the Gnome (not named until much later) was given to me by a favorite professor and organizer of Wofford College’s Secret Order of Gnomes. The Gnomes consists of a small group of college Seniors (no more than 5) that go underground their senior year and participate in a number of community service projects unnamed seeking no recognition. Then during the Senior Awards Ceremony, we were revealed. This is a tradition that started at Wofford College in the early 1900s (I believe 1911) and has held strong through the years. I was honored to be gnomed with Kelsi Koenig-Pack, Laura Murray and Ashley Glasgow. Upon Graduation, Dr. AK Anderson offered us each small red-hatted gnomes to remember our times together. We decided to take it a step further and take photos of our gnomes in different places around the world as a way to keep connected with each other. And that is what has taken Danny all around the world.
You might be asking yourself how Danny got his name. Well, he actually went unnamed for a year and a half. But in the Fall of 2009, I was preparing for a Northwest hiking trip with two high school friends, Will and Joe, and as we drove through the city of Charlotte, NC we passed an older couple making out at a street corner so we decided to roll down our windows and cheer them on. We made up names for the bold couple and I suggested Danny for the guy. The fellas thought I said “Daddy” which made the situation much weirder than we wanted it to. So that night when I placed my gnome into my hiking pack, I decided to name him Danny after the hilarous encounter we had earlier on the streets of Charlotte. Plus, naming the gnome Daddy would have just been weird…
And to answer any lingering questions:
Yes, it is about 3 inches tall.
No, this is not the Travelocity gnome… mine is MUCH cooler and doesn’t talk with a weird accent.
Yes, I do recommend you rolling down your windows and cheering on any couples you see making out in public. If they are bold enough to do so in front of a nice restaurant, then they shouldn’t mind the support!
No, I’m not super-attached to my gnome.
Well, yes, I guess you could say that I’m slightly obsessed with him. It adds humor to all of my travels!
The Travels of Danny the Gnome 
Posted by jenny on August 24, 2011 at 5:57 pm
Love it! Searched traveling gnome and found this! I am very fond of gnomes and have quite the collection although they have not traveled like danny has. Keep on truckin, Danny!