The Alumni Association hosted a Forever-in-a-Day tour of Brooks Hall and the Gregg Museum of Art & Design for the Golden Grads Forever Club on Nov. 29.
Forever-in-a-Day tours are recurring events for the Golden Grads Forever Club, which includes NC State alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago, to explore different parts of campus. Previous on-campus tours include the Memorial Bell Tower, Reynolds Coliseum and Thompson Hall.
“The main objective is to provide an opportunity for our graduates from a good while back to stay connected to NC State and to stay engaged,” said Thomas Stafford, chair of the events committee of the Golden Grads Forever Club and former vice chancellor of NC State.
The tour started at Brooks Hall, where the group reflected on the history of the College of Design. Then, on the second floor, the group admired the Carol Grotnes Belk Rotunda, which is now used as a performance review space for architecture students.
“It’s a pretty amazing space on our campus,” Stafford said. “When you drive by the College of Design building, Brooks Hall, you look and you see a beautiful rotunda that’s sticking out of the top of the roof.”
The group stopped for lunch at Clark Dining Hall, which some members of the Forever Club remember as the University infirmary.
The tour continued with a visit to the Gregg Museum, which some members remembered as Chancellor Caldwell’s residence.
“For this tour in particular, NC State Libraries and the Alumni Association have partnered with the Gregg Museum of Art & Design for a program exploring the history of the museum, as well as its collection and its impact on the University,” said Elizabeth Stone, the affinity engagement manager at the Office of Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving.
These tours have also helped members of the Forever Club to see how the campus has evolved over time.
“We have a lot [of members] that have never seen the Centennial Campus,” said John Bartelme, a 1967 graduate and president of the Golden Grads Forever Club. “Although it’s been there for 30 years now, we graduated 50 years ago or more, so it wasn’t here.”
Jay Peterson, a 1959 graduate, said one of his favorite parts of studying at NC State was going to Reynolds Coliseum.
“We had one of the greatest basketball teams in the country,” Peterson said. “I went to as many games as I could.”
Rhonda McFarland, a 1972 graduate, said NC State provided her with support during her time as a student.
“There weren’t as many women on campus; there were few people of color,” McFarland said. “Coming to these tours just gives us so many memories of being on campus. I met my husband and married him while I was here, and we both got good careers from our education.”
The next Forever-in-a-Day tour will be Jan. 24 at the College of Veterinary Medicine.
For more information on the Forever-in-a-Day tours and the Golden Grads Forever Club, visit its website.
