OCTOBER 2001
Class gifts become part of campus
FSU students can't miss some of the class gifts on campus. Two good examples are the Westcott fountain, given by the classes of 1915 and 1917, and the iron arch leading to it, given by the classes of 1916 and 1918.
"Class gifts have given this university some of its most important landmarks we have," said Betty Lou Joanos, associate director of the Alumni Assoc-iation. "Whether it's a 50-year anniversary gift or a senior class giving them, they are all wonderful for FSU."
Class gifts started to grace the campus in 1910 in the form
of two bas-reliefs for the walls of the browsing room in the
library. Since then, some have been scholarships or student loans.
Some are buildings on campus. Twelve classes contributed to the
construction and furnishings of the Longmire building, which
was completed in 1937. Over the years, classes have given pianos,
bronze doors for Westcott, the sun dial in front of Bryan Hall,
furniture and chimes.
And recently, some classes have come back to give a second gift, maybe for a celebration of 50 years as graduates, or as a 150th birthday present for the university.
The classes of 1949 and 1950, for example, got together to give a 50th anniversary gift of a mural recently installed in Dodd Hall. It was painted by Artemis Housewright, a well known Southern painter. The mural has three distinct panels. The left panel shows "the other Florida," the sand hills region: pine, cypress, Lake Bradford and scrub country. The middle panel is dominated by a stately palm, the steps of Dodd Hall and the old library. In the right panel, the front gate of FSU frames the Westcott building and its fountain.
The classes of 1947 and 1948 gave the Heritage Tower, a majestic brick fountain across from the Doak Campbell Stadium, as their 50th anniversary gift.
And the class of 1944 has come up with a valuable 150th birthday
present-a rare 1829 map of the Florida territory.
Graduating class gifts have gone up and down in popularity since
the first one in 1910. In the 1990s, they became popular again-even
though it's harder for brand-new graduates to buy expensive presents
than it is for the long-employed.
But the class of 1994 raised enough money to install the clock and seal high in building A of the University Center. The clock and seal, visible across Pensacola Street from the Heritage Tower, is already a familiar sight to students and Tallahasseeans.
"I remember helping to raise money for the clock and seal as a student," said Robin Kimbrough Haggins. "I still have the T-shirt we were selling for that project."
Haggins is now deeply involved with class gifts. She is the director of development for student affairs as well as senior class adviser and counselor.
"I talk to the student government and let them know about the possibilities and options for creating and giving class gifts," Haggins said. "Once they decide on what kind of project they would like to do, I work with them from the inception of the idea through the approval process to design, fund raising to the final production and installation."
Haggins started in 1999 in her current job, and she's doing well with getting senior classes to give gifts.
"The class of 1999 decided on a stained-glass window, which was recently installed in the new Student Life Building," she said. "The idea of the window is to showcase student life on campus, and it's really beautiful."
The 2000 graduates got their project installed in record time.
"At first we wanted to do a giant bronze time line of university
history," said Mike Rovins, 2000 class treasurer.
"But that would have cost way, way too much. We wanted to leave something of the history of this institution to educate people about the university. So we decided on three seals from the beginning of this institution-of where Westcott now stands-until today. Under each seal, we will have a description of the symbols and progression of the seals. Even our current seal, some students don't know what the three torches and Latin words mean. Not many people know that an owl was on a past seal."
Class gifts have to meet certain criteria to make it past initial approvals all the way to final installation. They have to fit in the spirit and character of FSU.
The Class of 2001 is doing a joint project with the class of 1951, the class of former Gov. Reubin Askew, who is now a professor and eminent scholar in FSU's Askew School of Public Administration and Policy. They'll work together in refurbishing Landis Green and the fountain there.
"We want every year from here on out to have a class gift," Haggins said. "They really appreciate being a part of a lasting legacy of FSU. They will always be able to look back on something especially meaningful for them."-Bayard Stern
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