Tag: Maintenance

Buildings That Build

Buildings Shape Us

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.

Library Purpose from Bishop Corson's Address

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.

Construction of Fleming 1952
Fleming 1952 (photo by Howard Hiner)
Construction 1963 Campus Center
Benedum Campus Community Center, 1963 (photo by Howard Hiner)
Chapel Steeple 1967 –  Photo by Howard Hiner
Construction 2008 September Reemsnyder
Reemsnyder September 2008 – Looking from the parking lot toward the back of the library (photo by Allison Hull)

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.

Labor Day Graphic
Thanks for all you do!!!

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.

Class at Harmer Gateway 2018
WVWC Class of 2022

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.

Caring for Campus

This 1915 photograph from the Library of Congress is not "Old Bob" but is representative of him

This 1915 photograph from the Library of Congress is not “Old Bob” but is representative of him

The May 1947 issue of the Sundial (alumni news publication) has a great little story about the retirement of an important member of the college community.

“Old Bob” Retires

“Old Bob,” the faithful horse-of-all-trades on the Wesleyan campus, has been replaced by two new pieces of equipment — a shiny red truck and an efficient gray tractor. To many Wesleyan alumni, “Old Bob” was a campus institution during his long years of service, and we are sure you will be happy to know that his new owner has promised to give him a good home. “Old Bob” was born on the Wesleyan campus 19 years ago, and it was a familiar sight to see him diligently mowing the lawns in summer or clearing snow from the walks in winter. Although the new machines will probably be more efficient than “Bob,” the Wesleyan horse will be missed by his many friends.

These photo post cards, published in the 1926 Murmurmontis show the campus as it appeared just two years before “Bob” was born on the campus. These were the only buildings until 1953.

Our campus has been a source of pride since the very beginning. The beautiful setting and the buildings are an important part of the Wesleyan experience. The 1926 Murmurmontis also included this message to past, current, and future students concerning the campus:

In case you find this difficult to read, here is the text:

TO YOU to whom Wesleyan lingers in a dear remembered past, to you for whom Wesleyan looms in a not far distant yesterday; to you for whom Wesleyan is yet in the promise of tomorrow, we dedicate these views. Perhaps they may bring back a recollection dimmed with years; mayhap provoke a smile of recent memories, or even bring a wistful dream into some quiet young eyes. And if some one or two of you, in gazing at these pages, slowly-turned, shall pause betimes and smile and then sigh, remembering dim, cool halls; sun-flecked walks; and the mellow peal of the old bell — then it is not in vain these memories have been given you.

The Giants who have kept these buildings maintained, the leaves raked in the fall, and those sun-flecked walks shoveled in winter have played a huge role in the history of the school. Their heroics too often go unsung.

Their tools are much different now.

So, on this 61st anniversary of his retirement, I would like to say: Well done, “Old Bob” and those who have come after. Your hard work has done much to create and care for the beautiful campus we enjoy today.

To find out more about the history of West Virginia Wesleyan College, be sure to explore DreamersAndGiants.com