Toward A More Perfect Union

Fundraising dinner, ceremonies mark 50th anniversary of MU

In February, the Memorial Union at ASU’s Tempe campus marked the 50th anniversary of its grand opening with a party, and prepared to fund its future with a dinner designated to support what the union’s founders called “a laboratory in democratic living.”

“ No place to go” and meet up on campus was the cry of the thousands of college students at Arizona State College before 1950. The Alumni Association began a capital campaign on April 16, 1951, to raise $350,000 toward a Memorial Union Building on campus.

The efforts of Charles A. Stauffer, a 1901 graduate of the college who served as the MU fund’s general chairman, were crucial to the drive’s success, as were those of alumni secretary James Creasman. In addition to the financial support of the surrounding community, faculty and staff gave $18,000 toward the construction of the union.

On February 25, 1956 the Memorial Union opened its doors at Arizona State College, after
a construction phase that lasted more than a year and cost more than $1.3 million dollars.
The building consisted of 109,000 square feet of space, and was capable of accommodating 6,000 students.

The 2006 celebrations kicked off Feb. 16, with a “re-affirmation” celebration of the MU, which featured appearances by state, local, and university officials. During the week of Feb. 20-24, the MU was host site for a variety of special events, including brown bag lectures, an open house for the University Carillon, bowling and billiards tournaments and the ninth annual Sun Devil Stars awards ceremony. The MU celebration culminated on Feb. 24, with a Golden Anniversary Dinner.

The union has undergone a number of changes since its opening, but it remains dedicated to being a meeting place for all who visit ASU’s Tempe campus. As Dean Weldon P. Shoftstall and the Memorial Union Committee wrote in the “Sahuaro” yearbook in 1956, “The Memorial Union is the living room, reception room, dining room, and recreation room for the College.”

— Written by Becky Hornack, communications specialist for the Memorial Union

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Students gather at the Memorial Union on the Tempe campus.

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