September 18, 2024
The Mayville State University Alumni Association board invites the public to enjoy a light picnic lunch and celebrate the completion of Legacy Plaza on Friday, Sept. 27 at noon. Legacy Plaza is located along the corridor that runs east and west between the Classroom Building and Lewy Lee Fieldhouse on the Mayville State campus. The event at Legacy Plaza follows the ceremonial swinging of the golden sledgehammers being held to recognize the renovation of Mayville State’s historic Old Main. These activities will kick off the combined Mayville State University Homecoming/Farmers Bowl 2024 festivities. (See the full schedule at www.mayvillestate.edu/reunion.)
Legacy Plaza celebrates and recognizes the faithful stewardship that has protected the Mayville State University legacy of personal service and quality educational programs since the institution’s beginning in 1889. As the legacy has passed from generation to generation, the university has grown and evolved while remaining true to its roots. Legacy Plaza connects the east side of campus with Old Main, and will be a destination for gatherings, photo ops, and activities for students, employees, alumni, and the community.
The Legacy Plaza project has been spearheaded by the Mayville State Alumni Association board and funded by many Mayville State alumni and current and former members of the community through their generous financial contributions. In addition, the Traill County Economic Development Commission and Traill County Historical Society have provided grant funding that has supported Legacy Plaza.
A major highlight of the plaza is the Hlavinka-Harrington-Lovas Patio, which has been sponsored by the Marlys and Del Hlavinka family. The space features a stately retaining wall and a patio that incorporates pillars that were once located in East Hall, a historic Mayville State dormitory building that was razed several years ago. In addition, column caps that once graced the south side of the Mayville State campus have found a new home in this area. The pillars and column caps have been sponsored in memory of longtime Mayville residents Gerhard and Lois Harrington Lovas by their children, Dan, Cathy, Steve, and Amy.
The Bachmeier Family Greenway welcomes passers-by at the east end of Legacy Plaza, on the north. This welcoming and peaceful space has been sponsored by Terry Bachmeier, in honor of the Tom and Bernell Bachmeier family. Tom was a long-time faculty member at Mayville State.
A little further west is the Mary Bachmeier Birmingham Mini Park. This space was sponsored by Mayville State graduate Ed Birmingham, Jr., in memory of his wife, Mary, a 1979 graduate and Mayville native who was Tom and Bernell Bachmeier’s daughter.
The Comets Forever Patio includes tables and seating. A large lighted Comet sign overlooks the space from the fieldhouse wall. The sign has been sponsored by Tim Kolsrud in memory of his mother, Ruth, who was a Mayville State faculty member and coach, a pioneer in the development and advancement of women’s collegiate athletics.
Another highlight of the patio is the Mayville State Action M which has been etched into the cement by Marshall Kaldor. Marshall is a landscape architect who headed up the Legacy Plaza project on behalf of Opp Construction. A Mayville native, Marshall is the son of Gregg and Connie Kaldor. Connie is a Mayville State graduate and retired Mayville State employee.
Members of the Mayville State class of 1974 have sponsored the Comets Forever Patio in honor of the 50th anniversary of their graduation. Participating class members are Lee and Cynthia Kaldor, Tom Orvik, Deb Garrett, Ruth Van Wechel, Bob Zimney, Marian Caldwell, Doug Anderson, Laurie Robinson-Sammons, Larry Tunseth, Gary Ryba, Beth Aufforth, Kathy Wicker, Nancy Defoe, Laura Norby, Charlene and Jim Snustad, Lucia Jacobson, Susan Althoff, F. Scott Carter, and Charlotte Hardy. John Halda contributed in memory of his wife, Marie, who was a member of the class of 1974; and Lois Meyer contributed in memory of her husband, Richard, who was a member of the class of 1974.
One of two picnic tables in the Comets Forever Patio has been sponsored in honor of 1976 Mayville State graduate Kelly Morrison. The second table, “The Teachers Table,” has been sponsored by the Heftas, Holums, Whelans, and Jacobsons, a family with seven teachers.
The Garden of Grace is located in the corner where the Classroom Building and Science Building meet at the west end of Legacy Plaza. This garden has been sponsored in memory of Grace (Murray) Wolden, a 1970 Mayville State graduate, by her children, Lori Nelson, William Wolden, and Peggy Strand.
Within the Legacy Plaza are several trees and flower planters that have been sponsored by alumni and friends. Trees have been sponsored by 1962 graduate Myrna (Lian) and her husband, Richard Cundy; as well as 1987 graduate Kurt Skodje, and his wife, Kathe. Another tree has been planted in memory of Ryan Domier, Class of 1991, by the Detroit Lakes crew; and a fourth tree was sponsored in honor of Andrew Workin, class of 2014. The children of Ellie and Elroy Berg sponsored a flower planter in memory of their parents. David Woods, a 1984 Mayville State graduate, sponsored a flower planter in memory of his parents, Beverly (Crookston), a 1952 Mayville State graduate, and her husband, Donald. Ann Willeson, a 1988 Mayville State graduate, sponsored a flower planter in memory of her parents, Vernon and Marlene Willeson.
In addition, benches and flower planters located directly across from the Comets Forever Patio have been sponsored in memory of 1957 Mayville State graduate Marian Johnson and her husband, Ordell, by their family; and Dianna “Spanky” Krogstad, a 1967 Mayville State graduate and advocate for women in athletics, by her family.
Birdhouses symbolizing “family” have been sponsored by Beth Swenson and the Merwin and Myrna Lyng family.
“We are very excited for this beautiful new space on the Mayville State campus,” said Doug Anderson, Mayville State graduate and Alumni Association board member, who has led the project together with Mayville State Director of Alumni Affairs Beth Swenson. “From the bottom of our hearts, we thank the thoughtful and generous folks who believed in the vision for the project and supported it financially. We are truly grateful.”
“Thank you to all who have played a part in helping to make this dream come true,” said Beth Swenson. “There is much enthusiasm for Legacy Plaza. The vision is now a reality, and we look forward to seeing students, employees, alumni, community members, and campus visitors enjoying this special place.”