This semester, several of my Osher classes have been in the Campus Center at the College of William and Mary. This building truly served as a center of the campus when we were in school here from 1965-1969. The only student dining hall was in one wing of this building – Trinkle Hall, known to everyone as “the caf.” There was another dining option in the building – a pay-as-you-go cafeteria called “The Wigwam” or ‘Wig” (I’m sorry) that I didn’t eat in very often because it wasn’t covered by the meal plan. Most student organizations had offices in this building – the yearbook and newspaper and a variety of student councils. The basement held a large-ish lecture hall – The Little Theater – along with a bowling alley. and the top floor was taken up by a large ballroom. I wasn’t a member of the campus organizations that met in this building, but I was in this building for meals three times a day and I attended events in the ballroom. I don’t think I ever went bowling.
In addition to eating at “the caf,” here are some of my memories from the Campus Center:
When we first started school, there was actually another whole building on the expanse of grass in front of the campus center. I knew this as the “Fine Arts” building, and I must have had a class in it because I remember going up the twisty stairs. Andrews Hall, on the back of Phi Beta Kappa Hall a few blocks away, was built in 1965 to house the Art Department and the old building was demolished. I can’t find any information about this building online.
This is where the college held freshman “mixers” when we started here in September of 1965. This is the first place where I danced with Tim. I had met him earlier in the day and he asked me to dance that night. We danced to the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction.” Tim convinced me that he has sung in a band in high school.
A couple of years later, we attended the college-sponsored “raft debate.” The premise of this debate was that professors from three departments – English, Physics, and Economics – were on a raft that was in danger of sinking, and only one of them could survive. They had to argue their case and the audience got to vote to decide who got to survive. My advisor, Economics Department Chair Len Schifrin, argued the case for Economics, and he won! As I recall, the place was full for that event.
I remember vigils for peace in 1968 and 1969 along the sidewalks in front of the Campus Center. I recall the college administration objecting to these demonstrations – they wanted students to take them to the other side of the campus so they didn’t “upset the tourists.” I was neither an organizer nor a participant in these demonstrations (again, I’m sorry) and I don’t recall what decision was made.
Tim and I attended one fraternity party in a part of this building – the training table area, where athletes could get the good food. This was probably in 1967 or 1968. I remember dancing to “The Letter” by The Boxtops. Here it is for your viewing and listening pleasure.
I have been in Trinkle Hall a few times since we graduated. Our class banquet at our 50th reunion year was in this hall, and a banquet commemorating the anniversary of the founding of my sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, was held in this hall sometime in the last 10 years. When we first moved to Williamsburg 25 years ago, we went to a Christmas Craft fair in this space. We bought a “Christmas Tree” that we’ve used ever since.
My Osher classes this semester have been in a room near Trinkle Hall. I don’t remember ever being in this room. I think it must have been used for storage. I did take a look in Trinkle Hall while I was there – it was only a few steps away. I think I could still smell the meatloaf and lima beans. I also wandered up to the second floor to see the ballroom. It had been renovated to become a suite of offices for students organization – all of which have moved to the Sadler Center across campus, which serves as the new University Center. The Campus Center houses a couple of office, the college parking department, and a dining area called the Marketplace, where the Wig used to be. I filled my water bottle there last week.
This week I have a class in the Little Theater. I’ve had classes in here before; my most memorable class in this space was about Robert Louis Stevenson, taught by Bob McCubbin. Mr. McCubbin (as we knew him) was the English professor in whose class Tim and I met in September 1965. We had become reacquainted with him when we moved to Williamsburg. We tried to call him “Bob,” as he insisted, but it was hard. I took Osher classes he taught and he took Osher classes I taught. The Osher program hasn’t been able to use this space while Phi Beta Kappa Hall was being renovated. The renovation project began in 2019, but it was derailed by general construction delays and then by COVID. It finally opened this fall, and the theater department moved from the Campus Center back to its luxurious digs down the street. So Osher reclaimed the Little Theater.
The word is that the college plans to tear down this building sometime in the next couple of years. That’s too bad, but in another sense it’s okay. This is not a “historic” building in Williamsburg terms – it’s only 65 years old or so, and the buildings just across the street date to the 1690s. I don’t know what the college plans to build here, but I’m certain that it will be architecturally similar to the other building in the area. I’m betting that it will be student housing – the college is undertaking a serious effort to increase and upgrade housing options for students. It would be a great place to live.
Great memories! I like the Christmas tree. 😎