Chapter 26:

 

MEMORIAL HALL

Memorial Hall (North Mall side) in September 2006When you see a UD “headshot,” Memorial Hall is usually it. Built in 1924, it used to be the library, and the bookstore used to be in there as well. Oh, and you may have had a class or three in Memorial…very likely if you were an English major. Hey, I had the infamously required E110 in there!

 

Early 1998 is when they fenced around Memorial, for a $9.5 million interior renovation. If you were at UD during the time, you might remember that they dressed up the fence a bit, with a bunch of ten-foot wide signs, illustrated with history-of-the-building type stuff. The renovation was wrapped-up in Spring of '99.

 

The Kissing Arches. You know, the arches that frame Memorial Hall. Was where lovers of yesteryear would mug out for a while, say their goodbyes for the night, and head back to their respective dorms on opposite ends of campus -- that was of course when the Men’s and Women’s colleges were split, and I guess there was a thing called “curfew.”

 

Sleepus Interruptus: The Campus Carillon. Huh? It’s the bells that they play, emanating from Memorial Hall. Guess what? They’re live on tape. What, did you think some Quasimodo dude lives in the attic of Memorial, and plays the chimes? Anyway, they play at 8:03 AM, 12:03PM, and 5:03 PM. I lived in Sypherd for two years, but the 8:03 AM never really bugged me, kinda pleasant actually. But if you ever lived in North or South Central and had late classes, perhaps you could’ve done without the Memorial Hall alarm clock!

 

 

MENTOR'S CIRCLE

Mentor's Circle in August 2013I’m including this in this chapter, simply because it’s directly adjacent to Memorial. For those of you who haven’t been back to campus for a while: remember that kind of horseshoe driveway thing, where you entered (and exited) from South College? Right, that thing between the Library, Memorial, and Hullihen Hall, that also had a few parking spots and had that little landscaped area and flagpoles, within the horseshoe…

 

…well, in 2000, UD bricked this all over with this big concentric circle thing, and installed new benches and landscaping and stuff.  The name was originally Hullihen Circle, but later changed to Mentors' Circle. And the South College openings where you used to enter or exit with your car? You can now only walk through it. Try to pick chicks up with your car somewhere else, dude.

 

Oh, but wait, we’re not done! In 2012, this like giant open book sculpture thing was placed in the middle of Mentor’s Circle. Entitled “Wings of Thought,” and designed to commemorate UD founder Rev. Francis Alison, it reportedly cost $185,000. No word if next to this giant open book sculpture thing, they plan on placing a Cliff Notes version.

 

 

Student, Center

 

“If you stand in the very center of Mentors’ Circle and clap your hands, it makes a very odd pinging sort of sound. It will sound almost as though it’s coming from between your hands and all around you at the same time. Sound sculpture!” (Digger’s Note: Probably not anymore, with that book thing they installed!)

 

- Jen H, UD '08

 

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