By Noah Alvidres

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – I took a walk around campus with Lemke Journalism Hall of Honor Inductee, former School of Journalism and Strategic Media Chair, and current Professor, Larry Foley.

I knew that I wanted to talk about the buildings and some of the hots spots around campus, and he was the guy I was told to talk to. After all, he’s made four films about the Campus’s history, including “If This Walk Could Talk” from 2022 which discussed the Senior Walk in detail.

Old Main. The Campus’s ‘Magnum Opus’. Designed by a Chicago architect and modeled by the main building from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the building has gone through many ups and downs. 

“No one wanted to admit it… they were gonna tear the place down and put in a parking lot, and put up a sign that says ‘here once stood Old Main.’ But the alums got together.”

Throughout the 1980s, talks of taking the building down grew because the building’s structural integrity was compromised multiple times due to fires over the 20th century. Board members feared it would continue to be a danger for students. The Chancellor at the time, Dan Ferriter, moved that the building shouldn’t be torn down and between 1985 and 1991, the “Campaign to save Old Main” was born.

Many alumni board members, including Foley and J. William Fulbright attended a dedication event that pushed for the building to stay up.

“It means more to you when you’re gone then when you’re here. Everybody’s story is different. When you’re on this campus, you know Old Main. When you go to football games, when you graduate, we sing ‘Mother of Mothers, we sing unto you.’ And if you’re a U of A person and that doesn’t give you goosebumps then you’re not part of us. It’s a part of who we are.”

– Larry Foley

As a Senior student, I will definitely be taking an extra long look at Old Main whenever I walk by from now on.

Something that people don’t think a lot about is the fact that Northwest Arkansas used to be hunting grounds for the Osage Native American Tribes. Another well known statue on campus right next to the former campus library and now Architecture building, Vol Walker Hall, stands a bronze statue depicting a couple of Native Americans.

The plaque reads:

” ‘Courage to Lead’ Denny Haskew, Artist, National Sculptor’s Guild

A gift from Donald A. Marr, Jr. and James A. Kunzelman

to J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences University of Arkansas, 2003

To symbolize courage and belief in spiritual protection, these Native Americans shoot arrows straight into the sky and remain still as the shafts fall back to earth (University of Arkansas 2003)

Foley has made his mark on the campus architecture himself. The UATV founder moved to renovate Kimpel Hall, the School of Journalism and Strategic Media building. Describing it as a “blemish” to the look of the campus before the renovation, Foley says when he set out to have his “vision” be executed for the building when he became the chair of the SJSM. This included the interior renovations as well as the studio outlook. 

Finally, we walked by the Faulkner Performing Arts Center, which used to be the main basketball stadium before both Barnhill and Bud Walton Arena. Listen to the audio as Foley discusses a funny story about his intramural basketball team.

Foley mentioned he’s still in contact with the friends form his intramural basketball team, and while they may not still be able to hit the court, it doesn’t stop them from maintaining their decades-long bond.

One of my favorite things to do as a student is walk around campus. Whether it’s in between classes, with friends or without, going to a club meeting, or just simply going for a walk, it is always a joy to look and appreciate the beauty of it.

Like Professor Foley said, we are likely to miss it more after we graduate, so it may be best to take it in while we have the chance.