Students had a chance to review the history and share memories in the Memorial Student Center Commemorative Ceremony on Friday before its closure for renovation.
“Since the dedication of the MSC in 1950, students have studied in the Flagroom, ate lunch at the 12th Man Cafeteria and most importantly taken off their hats and avoided walking on the grass in order to honor their fallen comrades,” said Collin Laden, chief operating officer of the Memorial Student Center Complex and senior international studies and Spanish major.
The purpose of the ceremony was to commemorate student contributions to the MSC during the years, Laden said.
The ceremony’s main speaker was Denis Davis-Mayfield, Class of 1985 and former MSC President. Mayfield reflected on her earliest memories of the MSC, listening to her grandfather play the piano in the Flagroom to keep her quiet, eating Thanksgiving dinner in the 12th Man Café before the University of Texas game, getting her first mailing address at the MSC Post Office as a freshman and being involved in student activities at the MSC.
“If you Google mapped the heart of Texas A&M University, it would lead you to the MSC,” Mayfield said.
Mayfield spoke about students’ experience with the MSC renovations done in the 1980s while she was attending A&M. She said students were hesitant about dealing with the dust and noise, but they knew they “needed the elbow room.”
President Elsa A. Murano spoke about the importance of the MSC and its need for renovation. In the new building, the seven Congressional Medals of Honor and other memorials will be placed in more prominent locations. One of the goals of the renovation is to better communicate the importance of the building at A&M.
“[It will be] a symbol of what it means to have arrived at Texas A&M University,” Murano said. “By sacrificing today we are preserving the MSC for generations to come.”
A slideshow featured photographs taken at the MSC from the near and distant past.
“[The slideshow] showcases that the MSC means many things to many people,” said MSCC President Stephanie Burns, a senior animal science major. “It is a place for Aggies to remember their time in Aggieland and hang out with friends young and old. It is a memorial honoring those Aggies who gave the ultimate sacrifice … but I think the true tribute is us … the students who make this University so special.”
MSCC Director Luke Altendorf spoke about the future plans for the MSC. The building will be energy efficient and environmentally sustainable. He presented photographs of what the building is designed to look like.
Altendorf said the teaching of the traditions and student activities of the MSC will be the work of students and faculty.
The ceremony closed with the display of a clock counting down the time left till construction begins. The “Countdown to Construction” is on display at the MSC.
The ceremony was followed by a Yell Practice at Rudder Fountain and a 1950s style dinner in the 12th Man Cafeteria, complete with burgers, fries and free coke floats.