Cumberland Today-Summer 01 - University of the Cumberlands

Dedication of Kleist Hall
Men’s Residence Hall
The following comments are excerpts from an address given by
Dr. William L. McFadden, Executive Director of the Peter
D. and Eleanore A. Kleist Foundation, on the occasion of the
dedication of the Kleist Men’s Residence Hall at
Cumberland College, on September 8, 2000.
One does not go very long in the pursuit of educational enlightenment
without encountering John Donne’s memorable observation
that, “No man is an island.” There comes a decisive point in our
maturing when we realize the fact that we are in reality interdependent,
related to all the rest of the human family. And then that maturing
takes on even deeper meaning when we realize that interdependence
also stretches back to include all those who have gone before us,
who have made contributions to the advancement of human kind.
In Cumberland’s case, in particular, Dr. Taylor, in the preface to
his volume on the history of Cumberland College ... reminds us that
we stand on the shoulders of all those who have gone before us. I
would suggest this morning that we stand on the shoulders of giants.
There is not place like a college campus to remind us of the contributions
of all who have gone before us.
Today, we gather to dedicate Kleist Residence Hall ... a dream
made possible initially by the challenge gift from Peter and Eleanore
Kleist, but a gift which was joined by many, many other gifts in order
to make this dorm possible. Later today, as you go across the campus,
whether it’s into the library, a classroom, an office or a gymnasium,
you will be surrounded by the memories of others, like the Kleists,
who had a dream, a vision. They made a contribution and made it
possible for this campus to exist.
When we look at every academic discipline on the campus, we
realize that in the classroom there are professors and students meeting
challenges and exploring new frontiers. None of that is done without
the realization that
those who went before
made it possible ...
When the reality of that
hits us, there is nothing
we can do but begin to
reflect upon who some
of those giants have
been in our own lives.
As we gather here,
immediately come to
our memory some of
the many persons who
have been influential in
our own lives — a parent,
a grandparent, a
teacher, a mentor —
someone who saw in us
something more than
we saw in ourselves and
encouraged us to be more than we were. Yes, as we have that memory,
we know that a way has been prepared for us. Someone has readied
this place for us. The only response that we can make is trying to
maintain a sense of awe, not only about the campus that surrounds us
and about this new building where men will be housed, but also a
sense of awe about life itself and how our current lives have been
enriched because of all those who have gone before us.
... because we are in awe of the giants from all walks of life on whose
shoulders we stand, we approach life with a sense of stewardship, knowing
that things are to be used but not to be used up. This dormitory is
not just a place to throw your dirty socks in a closet and find a few
hours of sleep after studying for an exam, but also a place to encounter
others as worlds open and life is enriched. This dorm is a place to experience
in the present the meaning of all that has gone before.
When I stood before many of you a year ago at the ground breaking
for this building, I had the opportunity to remind you that ... what we
do determines the future for those who will come after us. I would suggest
to you that what we are talking about is not only remembering the
giants on whose shoulders we stand, but also creating the legacy we will
leave. Our legacy is created by the lifestyle choices that we make; the
decisions we make determines the kind of person we are. Cumberland
nutures this process. We may experience this in the exchange which
takes place between professor and student, both in the classroom and by
the invitation of the open door where there can be a personal engagement
as one struggles with the meaning of life. We may also experience
it in a way as simple as ... a student on Cumberland’s campus, in the
midst of rain, offering an umbrella to a student who doesn’t have one.
I would suggest that when we are hit by the reality of what it
means to stand on the shoulders of other giants, the only response
that’s left for us to make is to try to be the shoulders on which future
generations will stand.
Kleist Hall
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