Class of 1950 Lecture Hall

 

While doing the thirty minutes of examination of the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall, it became apparent that there was a plethora of visual materials in this building. These visual materials included everything from diagrams, to timelines which themselves included photographs drawings and paintings. As well as portraits of influential donors of this class and plaques in dedication to them, flyers for various school events, and even a pair of bronze statues. These different visual mediums upon a surface inspection seem to show that what is represented within this building is supposed to represent Purdue University’s history as well as its core values and beliefs.

          

With that summary I will now go into more detail about each specific visual material that was found within this campus building and what the purpose of it is and what it may mean to the current student body of Purdue University. First, I will talk about the timelines of Purdue University which are found on the first floor of the Class of 1950 building in the long hallway behind the main lecture hall which connects the two hallways adjacent to the lecture hall where the stairs are located. One timeline shows nearly every major event in Purdue University’s and the world’s history from 1869, the year that the university was founded, all the way up to the year 2008.While the other timeline is on the opposite wall in between individual classrooms. This timeline shows the changes that have been made to Purdue University’s physical campus and layout. I believe that this is there for reminding those that have come and those are yet to come through the halls of Purdue University of their new, although likely temporary home’s history and what it stands for. Which leads to the discussion of what “home” means. “Home is that place to which you want to keep returning. Home is that place to which you never again want to return” (Behar 2013). This quote stood out to me because it seems to really exemplify how students who have graduated seem to feel about their University. Within the timeline you see people who have come and graduated and have done amazing things, such as going to the moon, yet they have also donated to the university or contributed to its continued existence in one way or another. What I believe it comes down to is that no matter where you have come from or where you have gone, the memories that were made during the stay at the university will always be with the students. And though they may never return it was still “home” for them for the briefest of times.

 

The next two visual pieces that stood out to me were the large portraits that were hanging above the landings between the flights of stairs leading to the second floor of the Class of 1950. When facing the front of the building, the portrait on the left landing was that of Bill Creson, former President and CEO of Crown-Zellerbach. There is also a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote above the portrait reading “The only way to have a friend is to be one”, although the quote is slightly damaged and the “-end” in “friend” is missing. On the opposite landing there is a portrait of Steven C. Beering, former President of Purdue University. Above this portrait is a quote of Steven C. Beering paraphrasing Goethe which reads “What you can dream you can do! But you must begin! For in bold beginnings there is magic, there is power, there is success!”. Both portraits also had plaques placed next to the lower rights of the them. These plaques were engraved versions of the letters of thanks and gratitude that the subjects of the portraits wrote to the class of 1950 for their donations and aid in creating the academic building. I think that the portraits are there to represent that although there are some very large names involved in the making of the building, it also shows some humility in the thanking of all of those that participated in the buildings creation, while also maintaining status by having large portraits of the two who likely donated or helped the most. Which is a way to still assert social class even while being thankful with the size of the portraits as well as how they are dressed and styled within the portrait (Harper 2002, 16).

 

 

The next noticeable things were the flyers that were placed on the second floor of the class of 1950. They ranged from flyers of employee rights, to campus events in the present or saved copies of events that happened during the time of the class of 1950. When looked at, the flyers seemed to, in a way, break the frame (Harper 2002, 21). The events of today can be seen and contrasted with the events of the past. In this way, modern students can see what some of the differences were decades ago. But, at the same time, the modern student will be able to see the many ways in which the college experience is the same nearly 70 years later.

 

 

Finally, there are the two bronze statues at one of the benches found on the right side of the second floor. These statues are made to look like the typical 1950’s students from the hairstyles down to the authentic 1950’s Purdue University clothing that they are wearing. This is also breaking the frame especially when on looks at the plaque that is placed on the left side of the bench which reads “The way it used to be” (Harper 2002, 21). This reinforces the need for remembrance of the past, and for people in the future to be able to look back and reflect on how things have changed, or how somethings may have stayed strikingly similar.

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While looking at all the different forms of visual mediums that were used in the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall, it can be seen when put together they form a sort of autoethnographic look at the culture and history of Purdue University. Looking back at epiphanies, or important event that are caused by and reflective of the culture of the university (Ellis 2011, 276). When taking this into account it can be notes that while this building was made from the donations of the former students of the class of 1950 and is meant to represent the core values of that class and Purdue University at that time, it can also be seen that at its core, Purdue University’s core values have remained steadfast over time, even though the university itself has changed in layout and size over the last 67 years. This is not to say that everything is equal. The top donors, or helpers in the project received large and ornate portraits with golden plaques all placed in highly visible areas, while the whole of the class of 1950 was likely represented with the two bronze statues. And, of course the timeline mentions the biggest and well-known events by having pictures of what are the most important individuals. While the closest representation of common campus life is through the flyers, yet even those are for special events and do not generally represent the typical campus life.

 

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References

Douglas Harper (2002) Talking about pictures: A case for photo elicitation, Visual Studies, 17:1, 13-26, DOI: 10.1080/14725860220137345

Behar, Ruth. “Where is home for the child of nomads? – Ruth Behar | Aeon Essays.” Aeon, Aeon, 1 Feb. 2018, aeon.co/essays/where-is-home-for-the-child-of-nomads.

Ellis, Carolyn, et al. “Autoethnography: An Overview.” Historical Social Research / Historische Sozialforschung, vol. 36, no. 4 (138), 2011, pp. 273–290. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23032294.