| U of M Alumni Association | U of M Twin Cities |
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1/23/2003
"Standing there, I recalled scenes of the mid 1940s: the big bands (Gene Krupa); the music (“Chattanooga Choo Choo”); sock hops after homecoming games; military uniforms on the boys in ROTC and NROTC; us coeds in bobby sox and saddle shoes. At times, we even wore our cardigan sweaters backwards just for kicks. Unfortunately for us, there was a dearth of men on campus in 1943 and 1944, my freshman and sophomore years, because the nation was still at war. We coped by studying, working, playing tennis, ice skating, and having mad crushes on our male professors. Enrollment at the University in 1943 was under 10,000. We rattled around in all the campus buildings. "Coffman Union, then only three years old, became central to our lives, whether we were commuters (via streetcar then) or lived on campus (I lived in a crowded rooming house in Dinkytown). “The Union,” as we called it, was the place where we first registered, went frequently to check our mailboxes, picked up the Minnesota Daily, or attended meetings of various campus groups. Commuters often brought bag lunches from home and joined others in the Union dining room. The massive building even sported a bowling alley in the lower level and a card room on the main floor where bridge games were popular. A women’s lounge on third floor had beds where ailing students could rest temporarily and be aided by a matron. The men’s lounge, according to 1940s propriety, was in the opposite wing. "As our tour group arrived in Coffman’s main lobby, I stopped suddenly, struck by the vista through huge, new south windows overlooking the Mississippi River. This was always a grand view from within the original lobby, a sweeping two-story atrium. In a rush of nostalgia, I recalled the big overstuffed chairs in which we curled up to study or nap or chat in the fireplace lounges on either side of the lobby. "Coffman’s original architect, Clarence H. Johnston, Jr., planned the building to accommodate a student body of 14,000. Little did he foresee what the end of World War II would bring! In 1946 and 1947, when I was a journalism major in Murphy Hall and writing radio scripts for KUOM, thousands of veterans came back to campus. By the time I graduated, in 1947, enrollment had jumped to nearly 28,000. All buildings on campus were overcrowded, including Coffman. Academic competition was fierce: In the J school, we coeds struggled trying to keep up with veterans who were already newspaper pros. Dances in the Union ballroom were often packed. "With the splendid renovation of Coffman now complete, I am relieved
Bette Hammel (B.A. ’47) Wayzata, Minnesota *** "As an out-of state-freshman in the fall of 1943, I had not made any friends as yet, so the Union was the place to gather comfort and a feeling of belonging. I was “starstruck” by its size and beautiful interior design. I spent many hours on the “purple balcony,” absorbing the atmosphere and reading my assignments. Yes, I spent more hours in the Union than I should have, which did not help my grades as a freshman. But I soon learned to moderate that behavior. Much later, when I was a senior, my favorite Saturday night out was to join another couple, and for $1 and a fee statement, my date and I could dance to live music in a beautiful ballroom. The Union became my second home." Raymond Tarleton (B.A. ’48, M.A. ’52) Tucson, Arizona *** "I have great and intimate memories of Coffman Union. I was president of the Student Center Board of Governors in 1970 and 1971. My most unique memory begins May 4, 1970. The students at Kent State had died [and] I became one of the several hundred students who turned Coffman into a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week nerve center for the antiwar demonstrations in the Twin Cities. Toward the end of May, the Lutheran Church in America held its regional convention in Coffman Union. As a student volunteer with the Lutheran Campus Ministry, I helped serve lunch and had a small part in the worship service that closed the meetings. My deepest memory is the Eucharist at that meeting, for in attendance were members of the Sunshine Committee, an antiwar group, who performed what they called “guerilla theater.” They chose to attend without their clothes. I had seen members of my home congregation in the lunch line, I represented the union board who were hosts, I represented the campus ministry team, I represented the antiwar group, and I had to decide how to react to naked people at the communion table. That is why in my life I mark time before May 4, 1970, and after." Larry Kiewel (B.S. ’75) Belle Plaine, Minnesota *** "One of my favorite memories of Coffman Memorial Union back in the late ’50s and early ‘60s is playing my trumpet in Rod Aaberg’s dance band in the ballroom for various dances put on by the student association. We played many homecomings, and it always thrilled me to be playing in such a grand place. I’m now curious as to what is left of it following the renovation. Guess I’ll have to come and see." Arnie Ness (B.S. ’59, M.A. ’63, Ph.D. ’75) Tacoma, Washington *** "I really enjoyed ping-pong competitions with my friends, the student bowling leagues, and bowling during the “all you can bowl”
Bob Nazy (B.S.B. ’82) Glendale, California *** "I am one who lived between the WMMR studio, the UBOG office in 320 Coffman, and the Whole coffeehouse during my years on campus (1967–72). One particular memory was during the student strike against the Vietnam War in 1972, sitting in the old Main Lounge with the marvelous pillars and marble listening to an impromptu concert by Paul Stucki of Peter, Paul, and Mary. He happened to be passing through the area and heard about the strike and came over for a concert. "Then there was the day the radio engineers from WMMR rewired the elevators so that they would stop at different floors than the button pushed, and in no particular order. The most annoyed? Those trying to get to the [faculty] Campus Club (a subject of annoyance to most of us students at the time)." Carrie Juntunen Minneapolis *** "My sophomore year, I planned a weekly series of Tuesday noontime performing arts events in the Fireplace Lounge, and it always thrilled me to see the sleepy lounge fill with students as various artists performed modern dance, open mike poetry, reggae, folk, and various other forms of music and entertainment. My junior year, I remember watching Garrison Keillor share some of his memories of Coffman Union in the Fireplace Lounge and read excerpts from Me: by Jimmy (Big Boy) Valente, a novel about a professional wrestler-turned-politician." Michael Holland (B.A. ’00) Washington, D.C. *** "Coffman Union played an important part in the life of my husband, Bob, and me. I first met Bob on the second floor of the student union when he was a military student in 1943. Several weeks later I was selling homecoming ribbons (no metal buttons in war time!) and he invited me to the homecoming dance as our first date, which was, of course, held in the ballroom. . . . "I earned my spending money while attending the University by working in the checkrooms in the Union and had the pleasure of shaking the hand of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. He was attending a dinner in his honor and before the dinner he came around and shook hands with each of the employees. His comment was, “People like each of you make it possible for me to have this recognition this evening.” " Rev. Norma Burton Minneapolis | |||||||||||||||||||
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