I graduated in 1974. The only time I've set foot in an ISU building on campus outside of the Memorial Union or athletic facilities was to check out the Butter Cy four or five years ago. But Tuesday after I finished lunch, I had some extra time and the weather was nice. I had always wanted to return to Coover Hall where I had most of my classes.
I drove over to that area but the place I found to park was near Stange, which was a bit of a walk. I started walking west down Pammel Drive. I thought I was walking down Osborn, which to me was sort of the north edge of campus when I was in school. I had little reason to venture north of the buildings on Osborn except to play Veenker. None of the street names were familiar to me anyway as it's been far too long. I know WOI was over there somewhere, but not even sure if Pammel Drive was a through street back then.
As I'm walking down Pammel, I am not seeing any buildings that were familiar to me. There was also some a new building going up that I wasn't aware of. I was looking for the Armory and wondered if they tore it down without telling me. Then I came across it on the south side of the road. It was only then I discovered I wasn't on the road I thought I was on.
So I walk past the Armory to Coover. I hate to say it, but Coover looks like a dump. The old window air conditioners and the deteriorating windows made it look like it's on it's last legs. Anyway I enter the building for the first time in 43 years. I wasn't sure if a guy could just walk in, but there was no problem doing that. There was a board with all the professor's pictures on it and I looked at it for quite a while but saw no one I recognized from my time there. I walk down one of the main hallways and it was cluttered with stuff. I found out later that one of the classrooms was being remodeled and I don't think any of them were currently being used as classrooms. I noticed at least one of them still had a blackboard inside. When was the last time you saw a blackboard?
I took a loop around the first floor and ended up back where I started. I was looking for the big room with the power lab, but couldn't find it. I hated that class anyway. I get back to the entrance and walk in a student advisory or info center where there were two receptionists or advisors. I talked to them for a while, but they didn't seem to know too much as they hadn't been there long. But they did point me to the big auditorium. So I go up to the second floor and look at the auditorium. Then I take a similar tour of the second floor, which was in much better shape than the first floor.
As I was walking the hall, looking at the stuff hanging on the walls a lady asked me if I needed help. She turned out to be from HR and gave me a guided tour. I ended up talking to a couple of professors in their labs. One was a lab where the work with drones. That seemed like a fun lab. The other was the new power lab. The old big room with the big motors were long since removed and all the power stuff was with smaller scale motors. Anyway the gal giving me the tour was very nice and I enjoyed the tour. The building was expanded or connected to a newer adjacent building such that you would go from the old building to the newer building without really noticing it.
I left the tour and checked out the Hub, which has a food court in it. I also checked out the Parks Library and found the Grant Wood murals. The library is much bigger than it was when I was there. I walked down the north edge of central campus, which was not on my normal route when I was in school. I walked past the Home Ec building and Morrill Hall. I eventually found my way back to my car.
It was a very nostalgic trip and I'm wanting to do it again, but next time I will traverse the pathways on the south and west side of central campus that were the paths I walked most often while in school. It was an interesting experience and I highly recommend it for alums that haven't been back for a long time.
I drove over to that area but the place I found to park was near Stange, which was a bit of a walk. I started walking west down Pammel Drive. I thought I was walking down Osborn, which to me was sort of the north edge of campus when I was in school. I had little reason to venture north of the buildings on Osborn except to play Veenker. None of the street names were familiar to me anyway as it's been far too long. I know WOI was over there somewhere, but not even sure if Pammel Drive was a through street back then.
As I'm walking down Pammel, I am not seeing any buildings that were familiar to me. There was also some a new building going up that I wasn't aware of. I was looking for the Armory and wondered if they tore it down without telling me. Then I came across it on the south side of the road. It was only then I discovered I wasn't on the road I thought I was on.
So I walk past the Armory to Coover. I hate to say it, but Coover looks like a dump. The old window air conditioners and the deteriorating windows made it look like it's on it's last legs. Anyway I enter the building for the first time in 43 years. I wasn't sure if a guy could just walk in, but there was no problem doing that. There was a board with all the professor's pictures on it and I looked at it for quite a while but saw no one I recognized from my time there. I walk down one of the main hallways and it was cluttered with stuff. I found out later that one of the classrooms was being remodeled and I don't think any of them were currently being used as classrooms. I noticed at least one of them still had a blackboard inside. When was the last time you saw a blackboard?
I took a loop around the first floor and ended up back where I started. I was looking for the big room with the power lab, but couldn't find it. I hated that class anyway. I get back to the entrance and walk in a student advisory or info center where there were two receptionists or advisors. I talked to them for a while, but they didn't seem to know too much as they hadn't been there long. But they did point me to the big auditorium. So I go up to the second floor and look at the auditorium. Then I take a similar tour of the second floor, which was in much better shape than the first floor.
As I was walking the hall, looking at the stuff hanging on the walls a lady asked me if I needed help. She turned out to be from HR and gave me a guided tour. I ended up talking to a couple of professors in their labs. One was a lab where the work with drones. That seemed like a fun lab. The other was the new power lab. The old big room with the big motors were long since removed and all the power stuff was with smaller scale motors. Anyway the gal giving me the tour was very nice and I enjoyed the tour. The building was expanded or connected to a newer adjacent building such that you would go from the old building to the newer building without really noticing it.
I left the tour and checked out the Hub, which has a food court in it. I also checked out the Parks Library and found the Grant Wood murals. The library is much bigger than it was when I was there. I walked down the north edge of central campus, which was not on my normal route when I was in school. I walked past the Home Ec building and Morrill Hall. I eventually found my way back to my car.
It was a very nostalgic trip and I'm wanting to do it again, but next time I will traverse the pathways on the south and west side of central campus that were the paths I walked most often while in school. It was an interesting experience and I highly recommend it for alums that haven't been back for a long time.
