College of William and Mary - Colonial Echo Yearbook (Williamsburg, VA)

Page 15 text:

ii Tlif Pa-sident ' s House in the winter ' s snov 4 n 1

Page 14 text:

OLD SUNKEN GARDEN. OLD WREN At one end of Duke of Gloucester Street on a point of land cut off by the meeting of Richmond and Jamestown Roads, the nation ' s oldest academic building stands enveloped in the aura of tradition. 1 1 is the face that the campus of the College of William and Mary presents to the world. It is a prime attraction for visitors to Yilliamsburg; it is the first familiar landmark to the freshman as he begins his association with the college; it is the last .sight for the senior as he leaves, taking some of its wisdom with him. Today it is a carefully detailed restoration of its 18th- century self, stan ling amidst sheltering trees and forbidding the bustling ' 20tli century world outside to penetrate its time-worn calm. A cannon stands as a sentinel guarding its privacy and dignity, while the white picket fence outlining the yard holds back the town. Crowning the cupola is a wrought-iron weather- vane, bearing the date 1693 — lest we forget. For it has not always been so. The Wren Building itself has been the innocent victim of the ravages of two wars. Long ago it was the whole campus; today it is the heart of the campus; tomorrow it may be on its outskirts. Its physical features may be altered, but its wisdom remains the same and merely deepens with the passage of time. It has known many faces and heard many voices. It has seen many changes. It has been the silent observer as the swelling stream of students creates the story of the campus of William and Mary. It is the face tliat the campus uf tlic liR-seiits to the world long ago it was the whole campus; today it is the heart of the caiii])us; tdiiuirniw it may lie on its outskirts Special thanks to Barry Fratkin for making this section possible. 4 10

Page 16 text:

GENERAL CA Those who walk through the Wren Building and into the world beyond its walls come to know the William and ]Mary cam- pus of today. Its past and its future are often overpowered tempo- rarily by the fullness of the present. The sun is shining, brick walks are spattered with leafy shadows, and nothing matters except the sheer joy of being alive. Or perhaps it is late at night, and a boj- walks alone across the Sunken Garden. The glow from the lights on the porch of the Wren Building leaves its outline etched against the deep blackness of a starless sky, and he pauses for a moment in silent appreciation of the beauty of his surroundings. After several years at the C-ollege, the trees themselves have become old friends. Thej ' are an integral part of the setting in which the story of campus life is told. Often given only hasty recognition amidst the rush of changing classes, their presence is deeply appreciated in cherished cjuiet moments. The strength of a tree trunk and the protective shelter of branches come to mind with the remembrance of a favorite study place. An oddly curving tree, beautiful because of its niisshapenness, enriches the daily walk past ■liraiKliis till, k with MKiw . . . cnuse the passorliy to fnrfiet for the iiir.niciit the (liscoTiilorts .if winter . ' . . Its physical features may be altered, but its wisdom remains the same and merely deepens with the passage of time ... n oddly enrvinf; tree, lieautifiil beeaiise of its niisshapenness, enriches tlic daily walk past it on the way to an S o ' clock clas.s . . ! 12 jr