| Honoring
the People Behind Hodgin Hall's Dedication
On October 6, Hodgin Hall was dedicated
to the UNM Alumni community. This historic event honored Regents
President Jamie Koch and President
Caldera. among others, and was attended by many of
the people who made this historic change possible after more
than a quarter century of steadfast effort. The event was hosted
by the UNM Alumni Association. UNM Alumni Association President Angie
Vachio made the presentation.
During
Homecoming, we see the spectrum of experiences that have
defined UNM. As many of you know Hodgin Hall is 113 years
old, the oldest building on campus. It was constructed
by an alumnus, Charles Lembke, whose
granddaughter, another alumna, Ellen Ann Ryan,
was present at the October 6 dedication.
At one time,
the building housed all the programs: college prep
and Normal. Originally
a red-brick school house, it was converted to Pueblo style
in 1904 under
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The Moment We've Been Waiting For: Hodgin Hall Committee chair Jim Beckley, UNM Board of Regents
President Jamie Koch, Lobo Lucy, and UNM President Louis Caldera reveal the new Alumni Center sign at Hodgin Hall's dedication ceremony. Photo by Nick Layman.
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the directive of President William
Tight. Many alumni today remember attending classes here,
which
continued until 1975.
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That year, the decision was made
to demolish Hodgin in favor of more efficient classroom
space. A group of alumni, the Hodgin Hall Committee,
rose to the building’s defense. The Regents agreed
to save the building if alumni could raise the funds
for its restoration and renovation, which is exactly
what happened.
These past Regents include Henry Jaramillo,
Dr. Albert Simms, Calvin Horn, Austin Roberts, and
Cyrene Mapel. Mr. Jaramillo was able to join us at the dedication, along with Ferrell
Heady, who was president of the university
at that time. |
We were also proud to recognize other
members of the original Hodgin Hall Committee at the celebration,
either in person or represented by their spouses: S.Y.
Jackson and Vangie
Hernandez for her husband, Ben. Bub
Henry, longtime executive director of the Alumni Association,
was the committee’s catalyst and inspiration, and a very
special guest at the celebration.
One other person played a special role in preserving Hodgin Hall
and was recognized at the re-dedication. Because of Joe McKinney’s efforts,
Hodgin Hall was placed on the National Register of Historic Places,
ensuring its presence for years to come.
Others who deserve our thanks and appreciation
include members of the 2005 Board of Regents, who voted unanimously
to declare Hodgin Hall the center for alumni: Sandra Begay-Campbell,
Doug Brown, Mel Eaves, Jack Fortner, Ray Sanchez, and UNM
graduate student Rosalyn Nguyen. In addition, we
are indebted to Jim Beckley, president of the Hodgin
Hall Committee. As a special note, all our Regents (excepting “Honorary
Lobo” Doug
Brown) are UNM alumni.
The Future of Hodgin Hall
Now that Hodgin Hall has been designated for
use by the UNM Alumni Association, we look forward to achieving the
following goals:
- To showcase the university, its
alumni—there
are 120,000 of us around the world—and its leaders.
- To fill its library with books written by alumni, and
make it into a Southwest reading room.
- To hang upon its walls works of art by alumni, beginning
with our Homecoming paintings.
- To establish a boardroom for the UNM Alumni Lettermen.
- To maintain a gracious environment for campus receptions,
workshops, and other university uses.
- To create ways for visitors
to experience the university’s
history through videos and virtual tours.
- To introduce students to UNM’s
history. Often, students see their experience in isolation
from that of thousands of others who also spent their formative
years here. Hodgin Hall is the anchor for all these students.
- To create a place of welcome for alumni when they visit
the campus.
UNM Alumni Relations MSC
01 – 1160 1 The University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001 800.ALUM.UNM (800.258.6866)
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