It's always tough parting with Mummy

Suburban Chicago News (Denise Crosby)

High School Mummy -- not the musical -- has moved from Naperville Central to North.

And history teacher Jim Galanis admits -- with a chuckle of course -- he's wound a little tight over this temporary transfer of "Butch," Central's beloved 2,000-year-old Egyptian artifact.

"We just hope the crate doesn't come back empty," as part of some prank ... "or that she doesn't come back dressed in orange and blue," says Galanis of Friday's move that was necessary because of renovations that won't be completed until fall.

Describing this teacher's relationship with Butch -- donated to the school by a doctor in the '40s, then rediscovered in a storage area in 1975 -- as close would be an understatement. He and colleague Tom Henneberry have been her protector, advocate, lab partners, even chauffeur for more than two decades.

In addition to turning her into a legendary part of the curriculum in Central's history department, these two teachers helped Butch morph into a television star when National Geographic Channel featured her in a segment called "High School Mummy" in its "Mummy Road Show" series that aired in 2002.