Buildings. We pass by them every day.
We enter them without a thought that they might not always have been there.
First we build our buildings, and then they build us.
Bishop Frederick P. Corson echoed Churchill’s words on May 27, 1953 at the dedication ceremony of the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library . His remarks cover a wide range of things that are relevant for today, and I would encourage you to take a look at what he had to say about such things as Liberal Arts, education and democracy, the great success and growth of WVWC, and more.
Building the Buildings
The buildings themselves provide the space for us to learn, live, grow, and share as a community. But buildings do not just appear by magic. They take a lot of planning and fundraising. Then they take a lot of detailed work by architects. Then, the hard work and sweat of those who build them. It takes time, effort, and resources to build buildings.
Working in the Buildings
People work in them once they are finished. There are those who work hard to maintain and clean them. People who do the painting, fix the windows, keep the air conditioning and heat at the proper levels. People who are locksmiths, carpenters, groundskeepers, and who make sure that the physical environment is clean, comfortable, and safe. It takes time, effort, and resources to maintain our buildings.
The more buildings there are, the bigger job this becomes!
On this Labor Day 2018, I especially salute all of these hard workers. Many I know by name because I have been in the buildings where they work. Others I do not know, but your work makes everything else possible.
Buildings Build Us
At a college, there are those who teach in them and those who learn. Through this process people are built just as surely as the physical brick and mortar building is built. It takes time, effort, and resources to build our students.
- The Lynch-Raine Administration Building builds Business Leaders, Communicators, and Educators.
- The English Annex builds writers and those who love literature.
- Haymond builds historians, political scientists, and those who focus on issues such as Gender Studies and Social Justice. It used to build scientists, but Christopher and Reemsnyder do that now.
- The Library provides resources and a space for learners to interact with all of the wisdom of the ages (and their own thoughts).
- Loar builds musicians.
- The Martin Religious Center, connected to Wesley Chapel, builds people who think deeply and who tend to spiritual matters. Our founders would be especially proud to know of Bishops Peter Weaver (1966) and Thomas Bickerton (1980), and several others who have become leaders in the United Methodist denomination.
- Middleton builds Nurses.
- John D. Rockefeller, IV Physical Education Center builds Excercise Scientists and Athletic Trainers.
The original building on campus is shown here with the student body in 1892. Included in that group of students would be Thomas W. Haught and several others who became trustees and faculty and administrators in later years. They helped to guide and build the school, and wrote the histories so that we would be able to know more about our heritage.
This group (Class of 2022) is studying The Legacy of Dreamers and Giants (WVWC History) this fall. They will be learning about all of our buildings, those who built them, and those who have been built within the walls.
And the building goes on.