2004-11-12 - 1:55 p.m.
Norah Jones on the stereo, a pan of red sauce (along with half a meatball) on the stove…
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Awhile back an edition of the Houghton Academy News arrived in which mention was made of my family. The lead story, called Sticks and Stones, recounts the life and times and work of one Olson Clark, “the stone mason responsible for building many of the gorgeous buildings that grace the campus of Houghton College. In his skillful hands, the stones of the local creeks would become pieces of beautiful and long-lasting edifices.” It was in fact, I believe, his idea – quite original at the time – to use those stones for just that purpose, giving the buildings of my alma mater their distinctive architectural appearance.
But it was the mention of some of my ancestors that got me thinking. “A list of his high school teachers reads like a modern list of building and street names here in town. Zola Fancher, his favorite teacher, taught math while Bess Fancher taught him English. The Fancher name adorns both the Academy girls’ dorm as well as a building at the college.”
That other building would be Fancher Hall. Built in 1905, it is the oldest building on campus. In 1987 it was moved across the road to accommodate the new academic building. At 835 tons, it was the heaviest building moved in the United States that year. It is a red brick building, not stone. And ever since Woolsey Hall – which it once attached to – was demolished, it is the only brick building remaining on campus.
So, there are some facts. I am embarrassed to add one more: I don’t know the name of the ancestor for whom that beautiful building is named.
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I wonder if anyone will remember me in so many years.
