A History Worth Preserving
The history of Wabash College beyond its academic achievements is overflowing with stories and traditions of our school’s athletic accomplishments. The great teams and individuals that Wabash has produced are too numerous to mention, as Jim Amidon, Director of Public Relations, so eloquently described this past fall in his Chapel Talk. But it is apparent that there is a lack of physical evidence to connect the myths to reality. The fact of the matter is that we do not have the space in the Allen Center to display even a small portion of our 175 years of history that is stored throughout the campus. The solution to this deficiency is to display the artifacts the college has saved by creating a museum or a Hall of Fame.
During a recent interview with Mr. Amidon, I proposed the idea of converting the Armory into a Wabash College Athletics Hall of Fame, and he was intrigued. He concurred that there is no better building suited to use as a Hall of Fame than the Armory simply because it has such a prominent place in early Wabash athletics. Mr. Amidon stated, “We need a place on this campus where we can honor our rich athletic history. The Allen Center trophy cases are a good start, but we have so much more memorabilia that is hiding in storage closets, attics, and the Archives.”
I think it would be great to have a place where much more of this Wabash history could be displayed and come alive. The Hall of Fame would give the visiting alumni, who were once a part of these great teams or of those indelible moments while at Wabash, the opportunity to experience them again. It would also be an essential attraction for prospective students visiting campus to show Wabash College’s history and numerous athletic accomplishments. The hall would serve as a display for all of the different sports in which the College participates and would be living proof of our storied past.
The Armory has been a part of this campus and its athletics since it was dedicated on May 21, 1918. According to a Bachelor article written in October of 1916, the decision to build the Armory and Gymnasium was approved by the administration. It would house locker rooms for basketball, swimming and other sports that required facilities. The building had served this purpose well until the post-World War II era. Additions made to the Gymnasium over time led to the Armory being phased out as home of the College’s athletics. The current utilization of the Armory finds it home to the Writing Center, the radio station, and a computer lab, but the remainder of the building does nothing more than deteriorate. This appears to me to be a waste of space that could be used more effectively.
During my interview with Mr. Amidon, he conveyed an idea he had been contemplating of making the Armory the campus entrance to the football stadium. It would absolutely appeal to alumni returning for football Saturdays to make their way to the stadium through the “Wabash College Athletics Hall of Fame.” Another thought would be to move the bookstore from the basement in Sparks into this same area, which could possibly have some financial benefits with the increased traffic.
What remains, then, is the issue of what to do with the Writing Center, radio station, and the computer lab. There have been to date some open forums discussing the “strategic plan” for the college with the idea of rebuilding of the Sparks Center facility. This activity could probably incorporate these relocations.
Nevertheless, the concept of creating a Wabash College Hall of Fame to display the college’s history would certainly make the Armory an architectural landmark on campus and give the building a renewed life in addition to a functional purpose.
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