University of Minnesota Alumni Association : A History That Inspires


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Alumni Association Home > Minnesota Magazine > Past Issues > 2004 > January-February 2004	Print View

A History That Inspires
1/14/2004

Back in the mid-1980s, when the alumni association began to re-establish its advocacy role by changing the process by which the University's Board of Regents were selected, I was giving a talk on the difficulties we faced. A past president of the association, Franklin Gray (B.A. '25), came up to me afterward with some advice. Mr. Gray was by that time an elderly gentleman.

His father, W.I. Gray, had served as second president of the General Alumni Association of the University of Minnesota, from 1916 to 1919. If you think changing the regent selection process is an uphill battle, Franklin Gray told me, you should check the minutes of the early meetings of the alumni association. There I would find controversies galore, he promised.

It wasn't long before I made a trip to our archives and sat down with the minutes. I quickly discovered that Mr. Gray had not exaggerated. That founding alumni association battled the state legislature over faculty salaries; it advocated for the enlargement of campus; it, too, wanted a voice in the regent selection process—and was not shy about expressing itself. For the first 15 years of its existence, the General Alumni Association was immersed in and struggling through one political issue after the next.

Franklin Gray's advice was some of the best I've ever received as executive director: In order to understand what an organization is and what it stands for, one must take a careful look at its history. The principles that guide us have been formed through the trials and experiences of generations of alumni. And their great courage and commitment serve as a shining example for the present generation as we tackle new challenges.

Time and again, I've looked at the alumni association's past with the hope that it will help inform the present and future. The history of this organization has rarely disappointed me.

In 1921, the state legislature cut the funding of the University. If that sounds familiar, so might the response of the alumni. They began a campaign that would help build Memorial Stadium in just two short years, without any state funding. And for good measure, they privately funded the construction of Northrop Auditorium in the same campaign.

Just this past year, we experienced déjà vu. The University was handed a $185 million cut from the legislature—and also found itself in need of a stadium. Once again, alumni were undaunted. They are meeting the challenges by rallying behind a new on-campus stadium. Why? Because it's the right thing to do for the University, and alumni will not be deterred.

Sometimes it hasn't been so easy to rally support around a great idea. As early as 1919, alumni expressed a desire to erect a home on campus. Time and again over the next 80 years the issue was raised, and time and again alumni were told the building could not happen. There were always a hundred reasons why the time wasn't right. But the UMAA kept fighting. And in 2000 the McNamara Alumni Center was proudly opened. Is there a better example of the conviction and strength of the organization? The UMAA just wouldn't let this great idea die, no matter how many roadblocks it faced.

That dogged perseverance is evident in our historical role as legislative advocates too. At the 1907 annual meeting, alumni were encouraged to become interested in public affairs and to run for the legislature "in order that the University might claim more sympathetic treatment." From these humble beginnings, the network is now 10,000 strong and growing. A threat to our alma mater has always rallied the troops.

For the past 100 years, the UMAA has risen to challenge after challenge and has written a brilliant history in the process. It's a story that continues to inspire us, with all its struggles and triumphs, hard work and high aspirations.

This is not a history that's confined to the UMAA archives. The story of the alumni association is mixed into the bricks and mortar across campus. It echoes in the halls of the legislature. It's alive in the spirit that fuels Gopher sporting events. It's rooted in the camaraderie at alumni gatherings from Tampa to Taiwan. It's etched in the hearts of alumni no matter where they live.

These affiliations, these memories, this commitment to the past, present, and future of the University are what continue to inspire our efforts. Over the next few months, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the UMAA, you're going to hear a lot about the history of this organization. There is a purpose to this storytelling that goes beyond sentimentality and a simple desire to reminisce.

Franklin Gray wanted to remind me years ago that knowing the history of this organization is necessary to understanding its present. I couldn't agree more.

Our history is there to teach us, to guide us, to inspire us toward a bright future. My hope is that in the coming years, alumni will take a look at the history we're making today and continue to be guided by the ideals, courage, hope, and perseverance that have helped steer us so successfully for 100 years.

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