Funds from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation made this building a reality. The Foundation was established by Michael Benedum, a native of Bridgeport, WV, and a devout Methodist, and at one time one of the wealthiest men in America, having made his fortune in the Oil and Gas Business. The Foundation was started in 1944 to honor his son, Claude, who died in 1918 at age 20 in World War I.
There had been another student center prior to this building (1947-1963) but it was in a pre-fabricated structure that had limited space, leftover from the barracks used on campus during the Second World War.
Included in the new Campus Center were a post office, bowling alley, pool room, offices, the WWWC Radio Station, a bookstore, a swimming pool, a Social Hall, and The Scow (Student Center of Wesleyan), where students gathered to play cards, socialize, eat snacks and listen to the jukebox.
(1960) Architect’s Rendering – Larson and Larson Architects
(1961-04-18) Bids Requested by Wesleyan for New Student Center
(1961-09) Wesleyan’s Student Center Rises
(1963-02-02) Benedum Campus Community Center opened for use.
(1963-04) Campus Center Facilities Meet Needs of Students [Wesleyan Report 1963-04, p.1]
(1964) Symbolic dedication of the hearth of the fireplace in the social room of the Benedum Campus Community Center as the center of campus life at West Virginia Wesleyan was conducted October 21, 1963. Representatives of each of the 58 campus organizations followed the president’s example in placing a log by the fireplace after a brief remark regarding the occasion. [Sundial 1964-01, p.36]
(1970) Center Smells Due to Paint [Pharos 1970-01-20, p.3] If the Campus Center smells faintly of turpentine it’s because the stairwells were graced with Epoxy paint over the vacation. The new paint is green (what else) and puts a tile-glaze surface
on the walls to facilitate cleaning. In the swimming area, new pedistal type diving board towers are being installed for permanet use and good news girls, the hair dryers are fixed. A third dryer is being planned for in the future. That hole they knocked into the side wall of the Reservation Desk has been turned into a new service window. Swim tags, records and music room reservations will be handled there from now on while the room that it opens-up to will be used as an office.
(1998) From the Archives: Old SCOW [Sundial 1998-Fall, p.8]. Article includes a photograph, history of the building, and reminiscences of Kent Carpenter ’63 and Brooks Jones ’62.
See more photos of the construction in this Flickr Album from 1962-1963.