The Wake

Coffman, Moos, Sanford, Folwell, Wilson … Yudof? The names that grace some of the University’s most frequented buildings become ingrained in the mind of every student. These names become a part of a student’s experience here; they are comfortingly familiar. So it can be a little disconcerting when a building’s name changes. After all, it’s difficult to find your class if you’re still looking for the Basic Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Building, which the University renamed after former University president Nils Hasselmo this past spring.

Things can get especially weird if you actually live in the building undergoing the name change. During the first few weeks of school this year, residents of Riverbend Commons watched the name Mark G. Yudof Hall appear on their mail, on the front of their building, on the carpet in the lobby–all before the name of the building officially changed in a dedication ceremony on Sept. 15. While the change may be a little jarring, the unfamiliarity of this new moniker draws attention to the nature of the names of the buildings on this campus. Many of the names we hear everyday are those of people. Yet, while these names guide us to our classes and are incorporated into our University memories, they fail to tell us anything about these individuals. Who were they? How did they shape this campus before they lent their names to its buildings? It’s surprising to see what a little digging (especially on the U’s websites on former presidents) will turn up.

The man whose name graces one of the most beautiful buildings on campus, William Watts Folwell, was a Civil War veteran and just 36 years old when he became the University’s first president. Students affectionately called him “Uncle Billy” and he was described as both a “gentleman of the old school” and a “knight errant of the new education […] interested in everything from Plato to hog cholera.”

Hired by Folwell after a brief 30 minute conversation, Maria Sanford came to the University in 1880. As the University’s first woman professor, she was known as “the best loved woman in Minnesota.” Incredibly welcoming, she once housed up to 16 students in her own home. Fittingly, her name was given to the first residence hall on campus.

Beloved president Cyrus Northrup, casually known as “Prexy,” tried to resign several times after he reached the age of 65 but the regents refused his requests. Finally in 1911, at age 77, he insisted, and the regents gave in. In fact, he was so well liked that the second stanza of the original version of “Hail, Minnesota!” was a tribute to him.

Coffman Memorial Union was named for Lotus Delta Coffman, who worked to raise funds to build the student union building, although he died of a heart attack before it was completed in 1940. During his presidency, he also got the Northern Pacific Railroad to vacate the tracks running through campus, which were in the way of campus expansion and the subject of a long-standing dispute.

On March 3, 1961, economics professor Walter Heller was featured on the cover of Time Magazine, while he was on leave from the University. At the time, he was serving as head of the Kennedy administration’s Council of Economic Advisors. The West Bank’s Heller Hall now houses the University’s economics department.

The University owes an extremely important campus landmark – the Washington Avenue Bridge – to former president Owen Meredith Wilson, who convinced the highway department to change its plans and build a two-level bridge across the Mississippi River, providing a safe walkway for pedestrians and a permanent connection between the old East Bank and the newly-established West Bank.

Malcolm Willey was the University’s first vice president for academic administration, who actively promoted the University’s expansion across the river. His favorite hobby was bird watching.

Malcolm Moos was the first University alumnus and first Minnesotan to serve as University president. When his seven-year presidency ended in 1974, after plenty of Vietnam War era turbulence, the Minnesota Daily wrote that he “would be remembered as the man who tried to keep the University from flying apart as it was subjected to one of the most intense pressures in its history. We feel the legacy of his tenure will guide the University in surmounting these pressures.”

Mark G. Yudof, who was present for the dedication ceremony of Yudof Hall, was the University of Minnesota’s 14th president, from 1997 to 2002. Among other achievements, he raised over $1 billion for the University and initiated freshman seminars, one of which he taught himself.

The legacies of these and many other University figures have left lasting marks on this campus. One of the most interesting – and most satisfyingly simple – is the endurance and importance of their names. What’s in a name? The commemoration of people who shaped and improved this institution, did it for the sake of the student body and education, and were admired and well respected for their accomplishments. These names have entered into the language of the University and have become an integral part of life here. The importance of names shouldn’t be overlooked – especially as the University is beginning to accept empty, corporate names like TCF Bank Stadium as appropriate for campus.