Arizona State University - Sun Devil Spark / Sahuaro Yearbook (Tempe, AZ)

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lynda jones joseph schuster don dedera william goletz cathryn goddard lynda jones rowe portis Dr. Nick Salerno thomas mann

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Sahuaro 65 Editorial Staff Panje Graux . ....... . . Editor Patrick O ' Neil . . . . . . . . . Copy Editor Alan Bunch . . Business Manager Allan Frazier Supervisor Great men do what lesser men are proud of. (Twelfth Night) Envisioning an auditorium for Arizona State University which could provide a worthy setting for the world ' s great artists, late President Grady enlisted the aid of his close friend and architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Together, a man of dreams and a man of genius created a cultural center of which all Arizonans can be proud. These two leaders died in 1959 before their idea had fully materialized, but their work was carried to by notables like Lewis J. Ruskin, a prominent civic leader who endeavored to appropriate funds for the venture, and William Wesley Peters, a colleague of Wright, who put the finishing touches on the original designs. Actual construction lasted 25 months, costing $2.4 million, but on September 16, 1964, an idea became a reality with the formal dedication of Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium, named to honor the man whose vision helped build it. A circular design with gently curving arches lends a smooth line of continuity to the massive structure which encloses 75,000 square feet and pushes 80 feet into the sky. Outstretched in welcome, two sloping bridges 200 feet on each side of the auditorium. A blend of function and impressive beauty, the permits 3,000 people, sitting on three levels, to enjoy a variety of performances ranging from a full symphony orchestra to a lecture. The 140-foot stage is enhanced by a telescoping orchestra shell capable of an entire orchestra and chorus when The convex walls and ceiling ensure an even flow of sound to all parts of the audience while echos. Eugene Ormandy conducted the Philadelphia for the auditorium ' s inaugural concert. Typical of other inaugural year events were the Broadway plays Beyond the Fringe and Luther, concerts by and his orchestra and by pianists Glenn Gould and Andre Previn, and opera Don Giovanni by the Goldovsky Opera Theater. The cultural opportunities which two great men opened to Arizona are immeasurable, and as an old scription states .. if you seek their monument, look about you. Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium is filled to capacity for the first assembly ever held there. Karl Wochner, ASASU president, officially welcomed the freshmen and other new students. Gammage - Wright men did.