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Know your campus history |
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Chris Thomas |
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Columnist |
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| First of all, I would like to extend
my sincere thanks to whoever was responsible for making Thousand Island
the "Dressing of the Day," in the cafeteria. I am truly touched
that someone cared enough not only to make sure that it had its proper
place in the salad bar, but they also cared enough to honor it with the
title "Dressing of the Day" - and for about six days running
now. I personally thank you, and I also thank you on the behalf of
Thousand Island who, if could talk, I'm sure would be delighted to have
this special honor.
This week is a good week for me. Besides the salad dressing honor, I've gotten a lot of sleep, completed almost all of my homework on time, and filled my car up with gas for only 99 cents a gallon. It was the first time in a long time I can remember the gallons adding up faster than the money. If you ever get the chance to watch that, I highly recommend it. It is magical. But my week wouldn't be complete if I didn't have at least one thing to complain about, right? I thought you would agree. Who is Buhr? Who is Becker? Who is Swensen? Why are the buildings at Wartburg named for who they are named for? This came to my attention when I read Nate Stoltman's letter in last week's Trumpet about the misspelling of Buhr all over campus when Tipper (I don't even know her) Gore came to speak at Wartburg. The sidewalks were littered with chalk misspellings of "Burr Lounge" and even in one spot by the chapel, a misspelling of her name. My point is what do you know about the history of the school? The only one most of us probably know anything about is "The Robert and Sally Vogel Library." If you don't know whom that was named for, stop reading this article by candlelight and crawl out of the cave you have been living in for the past few years. I don't expect anyone to really know anything about any of the rest of the buildings. I don't even known anything about the rest of the names, with the exception of where I live (the House of Swensen, and that is with an "en" not an "on") and the McElroy Communication Arts Center (my other home). Why would you know who the Whitehouses are or who Dr. Voecks was? You wouldn't, but you can find out. Now I'm not talking about hours of research at the Library. I'm talking about stopping along your way to class and reading. Almost every building that is named for someone on campus has a plaque inside of it explaining whom it was named for and why he or she was chosen. I'll even help you out. When you go into the Whitehouse Business Center doors on the first level across from the Student Union there is a plaque on the wall. It has a very nice picture of the Whitehouses and a little paragraph about them. I could tell you about it here, but then you wouldn't be learning for yourselves. And isn't that what we all came to college to do anyway? Some other locations on campus to check out include the stage-left sidewall of Voecks Auditorium or the lobby of the McElroy Communcation Arts Building. The lobby of Becker Hall of Science, and while you are in Becker, look at various labs in Becker Hall that have been named after exceptional professors who served Wartburg College. If you live in the manors, each house has a plaque about its honoree. As for the other dorms, I am not sure. But look around, and you are bound to find out some information about who Vollmer, Hebron and Grossmann were (I didn't mention the Residence, Founders or Centennial because I don't believe they were people. If they were, somebody let me know). I hope that all of you will at least take time to read one of the plaques on campus about the people the buildings were named after. Think about it this way: what if twenty years from now the new Physical Education Center was named after you. "The (your name here) Athletic Complex." Wouldn’t you want people to know at the least who you were? I know I would. |
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