Western University of Health Sciences' pole sign now reads

Western University of Health Sciences’ pole sign now reads "WesternU," after being renovated and placed back on top of its 95-foot tall resting place Friday Aug. 20, 2010.

The old sign got a facelift and also lost a lot of weight – more than half its 6,500 pounds, in fact, dropping to a svelte 3,000. Its dimensions remain the same at 8-by-30 feet.

Workers for Williams Sign Co. of Pomona said the sign included layers of plastic and metal that once read "Pomona" and "Buffums’". The sign read "Western University" prior to being refurbished.

The sign became lightweight when the old layers and a motor – which helped the sign revolve in the 1960s, when it read "Pomona" for the old Pomona Mall — were removed.

The sign has been a favorite of WesternU Founding President Philip Pumerantz, PhD, since the university acquired the closed Buffums’ department store – including the sign — in the early 1990s. The sign now faces north and south and can be seen from several blocks away in many directions..