ISU bids farewell to
Dunn-Barton, Walker Halls
4/21/2008
Daily Vidette
Alex Lawson
Friday afternoon,
students, staff and alumni gathered in the central campus mini quad to say
goodbye to 167,558 square feet of history and memories.
Dunn-Barton and Walker Halls were officially decommissioned on Friday, and
the ceremony to honor them featured current students and prominent alumni
sharing the memories of their time spent in those residence halls.
Illinois State Senator Dan Rutherford was one such alumnus. He spoke about
his time spent in Walker Hall in the 1970s. "I had the pleasure to live here
for three years," Rutherford said. "And I thought long and hard about how
far I was going to push the envelope on these stories."
Rutherford went on to explain the fond recollections he had about locking
his friends in their rooms and removing the speaker from the phone so they
couldn't call out, as well as when the new phenomenon of streaking found its
way to ISU.
"I can tell you that ISU's first streakers were Walker residents,"
Rutherford said.
The residence hall's reputation of wild and crazy behavior was a recurring
theme throughout the ceremony. Even President Bowman acknowledged this in
his address to the audience.
"These dorms have housed approximately 47,000 students over the years, and
that is not including the hundreds of students that were undoubtedly snuck
in," he said.
Rutherford embraced the residence hall's raucous reputation, even as a
prominent public figure.
"Whenever I travel, sometimes someone comes up to me and says they remember
me from Walker Hall. I then think to myself 'There goes a good political
career down the drain,'" he said.
The ceremony culminated in the passing of the key ceremony, where a large
key inscribed with the date of the decommissioning was given to President
Bowman by Amy Vito, student president of central campus residence
government.
The key will be displayed at the new Student Fitness and Kinesiology and
Recreation Center that will be built where the residence halls now stand.
"Central campus has had a special place in my heart ever since I moved in my
freshman year," Vito said. "Half of me is really sad to see this go, but at
the same time you can help students realize there are lots of residents that
are really supportive and looking forward to the future."
Also in attendance was John Scott, the grandson of Richard Dunn, for whom
Dunn Hall is named. Dunn was a revolutionary in drafting a bill that allowed
residence halls to be built through the sale of bonds rather than state
funding.
"[Dunn] met his future wife here at Old Main, which is not even here
anymore," Scott explained. "So in terms of progress and things moving
forward, I don't think he would have been surprised that it's time to move
on."
Bowman explained that he also met his wife in Dunn Hall and that those kinds
of memories will keep the residence halls alive forever.
"As we say goodbye to two cherished friends, we also embrace the memories of
Dunn-Barton and Walker Halls," he said.
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