Memorial Union wraps up 75th anniversary celebration next month

White House for a Day: the 1995 National Rural Conference in the Great Hall.

by Linda Charles and Karen Bolluyt
The Memorial Union began as a living memorial to Iowa Staters who died in World War I. Through the years, it has been the site of nervous first dates, concerts by music legends and perhaps even a ghost. The Union wraps up its 75-year anniversary celebration with a "ReUnion" event and a nostalgic look back May 22.

Things got off to a rocky start in 1927, when a 75mm cannon volley during the groundbreaking ceremony broke windows in the Collegiate Presbyterian Church on Sheldon Avenue. Funded through pledges, the union opened in 1928.

The west entrance to the building features a winding stairway. No two steps are alike, and only one is straight.

The north entrance (Gold Star Hall) serves as a memorial to those who died in World Wars I and II, as well as the Korean and Vietnam wars. On the foyer floor is the bronze zodiac. Architect and designer W.T. Proudfoot placed the symbol above the floor surface, intending that foot traffic eventually would make it level. But within a year, students had decided that those who stepped on the zodiac would flunk their next test, and walked around the symbol.

Gold Star Hall also might be home to a ghost. At least some have reported ghostly sounds. Speculation is that the ghost is Hortense Elizabeth Wind, the only woman among WWI names listed there. Wind was a 1915 home economics graduate who tutored students in chemistry and enlisted in the war as a nurse.


Fountain phased in
The fountain outside the north entrance was a gift from the 1937 Veishea committee. The four sculptures by Christian Petersen were added in 1942. Over the years, all sorts of things, including piranhas, have ended up in the fountain.

MU dormitory room, 1937-38.

The Maintenance Shop was established in 1974 when a group of students asked to produce a show (Man of La Mancha) in space vacated by the Union's maintenance department. The hit show lead the way for other productions.

Frosties quickly became a tradition when they were introduced in 1941. Developed by the dairy science department, the soft ice cream sold for 10 cents a glass or 5 cents a cone.

The union has seen its share of famous people, including Eleanor Roosevelt, who spoke at the women's convocation in 1950. Jazz great Louis Armstrong performed in the Great Hall in 1955, and in 1960, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in the same room. In 1995, the union became "White House for a Day," when former President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore chaired the National Rural Conference.


The ReUnion: May 22
Grilled cinnamon rolls will be the first taste of history for Memorial Union nostalgia seekers during the May 22 reunion. The rolls were the creation of thrifty cooks who used a well-buttered grill to freshen day-old pastries. Invitations were sent to Memorial Union life members, and current and former Student Union Board and Memorial Union board members and employees, "but everyone else is invited, too," said Kathy Svec, MU marketing director.

The event begins with a guided tour of the building at 1:30 p.m. The recreation center, Maintenance Shop and Trophy Tavern will be open for bowling, billiards, afternoon frosties and classic Coke.

One union enthusiast who cannot attend wrote: "It's almost too much to bear... 'Frosties' in the afternoon at the Union! Solving the world's problems. The Union was THE place to be."

The program following a 6 p.m dinner in the Great Hall will include a look at the Memorial Union of the future.

The entire day's program costs $45 per person ($25 for dinner only). Registrations are due May 15. Registration forms are available on the Web at http://www.mu.iastate.edu/activities/75th.html, or call 4-2549.