Miami University - Recensio Yearbook (Oxford, OH)

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Miami Students breached out, reached out and touched someone a whole lot easier in 1987, thanks to the new phone system the university installed. Installed by TeI-Plus, the new system offered advanced features to students and to the university, replacing the costly By its last hinge, the window hung on for dear life. Tumbling bricks had smashed its glass, debris had covered its frame. Finally, the last window of Van Voorhis Hall gave in to the pounding steel ball, and came crashing to the ground. Despite petitions, speeches, letters and an injuction, the oldest building on campus was demolished on June 14. Jeff system that had been in use for ten years. Thomas Walsh, manager of telecommunica- tions for Miami, said the old system used first generation technology that was not able to expand with our needs. The operation cost $4.5 million, but was expected to save money in the future. Harting, a member of the de- partment of architecture, worked to save the Roman- esque structure..;He estimated restoration costsat $1 million, but the Board did not identify the building as one of histori- cal value. The Historical Preservation of Miami University, a student organization, went to court and secured an injuction that Ma NEC Van Voorhis Miami did offer the con- struction crews some unique problems in adapting 20th century technology to 19th century architecture. A lot of buildings needed temporary wiring while the new system was being installed, providing a challenge to fit the old archi- tecture with modern cables. Photo by Kim Hiibig postponed demolition an extra two months. On fated Friday the 13, the injuction ended, and there was no way to seek extension until the following Monday. At 5 am. Saturday, a wrecking crew arrived with ball and chain to bring the old art building down, and begin the parking lot that was to take its place. With touch-tone replacing the rotary dialing system, stu- dents could make long dis- tance calls without purchasing a calling card. Also, problems with billing numbers could be traced, as well as emergency- calls. And those Iate-night weekend pranks. Uh-oh. Summer News 29

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Summer News Would you spend $30 mil- lion on a birthday party? May- be not, but Americans decid- ed that the Statue of Liberty was well worth it this summer. Her 100th birthday celebra- tion spanned four days over the July fourth weekend. The party not only marked Lady Libertyis centennial, but also the culmination of her res- 28 Summer News toration, which took over three years and $66 million to com- plete. Aging and pollution had taken its toll on the Lady. But a new intrastruoture and brand new torch brought back the shine to the woman who has welcomed immigrants to Americals shores for over 100 years. New York hosted the cele- Toxio clouds spilled into the air. Fire exploded out of no- where. On July ninth, 35,000 Montgomery County residents were forced to flee from their homes in what was the largest evacuation in US. history. Scorohing ninety degree weather caused the derail- ment of a 44-car CSX Trans- portation train carrying toxic Chemicals. The steel tracks had expanded five inches Toxic Fire Happy Birthday! bration, and it was typical of Americans lldo it big style. It included a six hour procession of 225 sailing ships down the harbour, 40,000 skyrockets, concerts, and even a dance by 200 Elvis Presley imitators. Besides all of the glamour, the party had special significance for 38,000 people - they be- came American citizens, tak- along 35 feet of track, and the train derailed on the Beaver Creek bridge in Miamisburg. Sixteen thousand residents fled their homes when fire broke out in the afternoon, but by ten at night, firemen had extinguished the blaze, and they returned. The next evening, the first reappeared as a phosphorous tanker traveling in the area ig- nited. This time, 35,000 terri- ing the oath led by President Reagan. While some criticized the media and glitter as excessive in the face of homelessness and poverty, most felt the par- ty served as a reminder - of our nations immigrant past and as a symbol of our nation- al unity. fied residents sought refuge. Four hundred people were treated at local hospitals, and one man died when his trailer burned as he tried to move it out of the evacuation zone. Twenty-nine neighborhood fire departments, 99 medic units, the red cross, city offi- cials, and thousands of volun- teers banded together to pull through the disaster.

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