Purdue Alumnus

John Purdue's top hat
Object Permanence
stained glass window
Photo: Kat Braz (LA’01)

121. Smart Window

The stained-glass window in the southwest entrance of the Purdue Memorial Union is dedicated to the memory of James H. Smart, the University’s fourth president. The four panels depict Mother Earth, Sister Water, Brother Fire, and Brother Wind. The 12 figures at the bottom represent Purdue’s fields of study. Inscribed along the top panels are the words: “Our poor spirit is so weak that it is only through the use of materials that it can rise to the truth.”

See the Smart Window in the west staircase of Purdue Memorial Union.

Inside of smokestack
Photo: Mark Simons

122. Smokestack

The 1924 power plant with its 250-foot-high smokestack was a technological marvel at the time it was built. The building — which later acquired the name Heating and Power Plant-North — was the sole generator of heat and power on campus. The looming tower was a visible marker on a campus closely surrounded by farm fields in all directions. After the power plant was decommissioned in the 1980s, the smokestack took on the nostalgic role of a historic landmark. The smokestack was disassembled in 1992, but the power plant sat mostly unused for another 25 years. This image was taken just before the power plant was demolished in 2014.

See this image of the smokestack and other historic images from the power plant in the Wilmeth Active Learning Center.

A metal fence
Photo: Kat Braz (LA’01)

123. Smoking Fence

The smoking fence got its name from 19th-century students skirting a rule that forbade smoking on campus. An iron-rail fence encircled much of the main campus, keeping cattle from nearby pastures from roaming the grounds. Students would congregate along the fence for a smoke, leaning over the fence to be technically off campus.

Lean over the smoking fence.

silver trophy
Photo: Dave Mason

124. Sousa Trophy

The John Philip Sousa Foundation began awarding the Sudler Trophy in 1982 to the college or university marching band that has demonstrated the highest of musical standards and innovative marching routines. The “All-American” Marching Band was awarded the Sudler Trophy in 1995, 55 years after Purdue’s band was first recognized by Sousa. This three-foot silver trophy was presented to the Purdue Military Band by Mr. Stars and Stripes Forever himself in 1927. The military band was linked with the ROTC program until the mid-1960s. Freshmen and sophomore men with musical talents could meet their ROTC requirement by participating in the band instead of regular ROTC training.

Watch the “All-American” Marching Band perform

four paintings of people doing several activities
Photo: Patrick Whalen (LA’88)

125. The Spirit of the Land Grant College

Nothing on campus celebrates Purdue’s founding quite like Eugene Francis Savage’s The Spirit of the Land Grant College, a massive mural above the entryway to the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education Library. On the left side sits President Lincoln, signing the Morrill Land Grant Act, giving birth to Purdue and land-grant universities across the entire country. The goal of the bill was to make higher education more accessible to people across the United States, not just coastal elites. Today, Purdue carries on the spirit of this bill by making education accessible to working adults through Purdue Global and the ongoing tuition freeze, helping more students afford and attend university.

Learn the meaning of the Spirit of the Land Grant College mural.

a squirrel
Photo: iStock

126. Squirrel

Despite (or maybe because of) the aptly named Squirrel Park in Purdue Village, at times it seems as though the entire campus is the domain of the lively rodents. Fascination with the creature spawned a PurdueSquirrels Twitter account, and in 2013, an Exponent headline proclaimed, “Purdue is a campus obsessed with squirrels.”

Visit Squirrel Park

open notebook of some writing and a sketch
Photo: Michael Fairchild (LA’13)

127. Student Notebook

Edward C. Martin (ME’1908) used this pad to jot down notes from his heating and ventilating course in fall 1907. Upon graduation, Martin became an instructor at the Ohio Mechanics Institute, now known as the University of Cincinnati College of Applied Science.

Martin’s notebook is on display in the Rudolph Room at Dauch Alumni Center.

peacock
Photo: Kat Braz (LA’01)

128. Stuffed Peacock

PSUB (Purdue Student Union Board) debuted its first madrigal dinner in 1979. The comedic Renaissance-themed dinner theater featured a feast of several courses, each heralded with a traditional song. Roving costumed actors entertained guests throughout the evening. This peacock, stuffed by Larry’s Taxidermy in Wingate, Indiana, served as a prop for a dinner in the late ’80s. The events were phased out by the mid-’90s.

Supercomputer with signatures all over it
Photo: Purdue University

129. Supercomputers

When it was installed in 1967, Purdue’s first supercomputer, the CDC 6500, was considered one of the world’s most powerful computers. Although revolutionary for the time and despite the impressive name, the CDC 6500 could barely power a smartphone today. Since 2008, ITaP has built a supercomputing system annually, including three built during 24-hour “install day” events. Traditionally, the supercomputers are named after computing pioneers in the University’s history. Rice, installed in one day in 2015, is named for John R. Rice, one of the earliest faculty members in Purdue’s first-in-the-nation computer science program.

The University’s supercomputers are housed in the mathematical sciences building.

old paper coke cup
Photo: Rebecca Wilcox (LA’16)

130. Sweet Shop Coke Cup

When the Purdue Memorial Union opened in 1924, its dining facilities consisted of a cafeteria with a soda fountain and banquet service, all operating as one unit. The first true Sweet Shop appeared in its own separate space in 1927 and was expanded to its present size in 1957. Many Sweet Shop Coke dates developed into romances under the happy guidance of Frank “Pappy” Fox, manager of the Sweet Shop from 1927 to 1959. Pappy claimed that in 1938, the Sweet Shop was the largest independent dispenser of Coca-Cola in the United States. This vintage cup was discovered during the shop’s most recent renovation in 2004.

Sip a Coke at Pappy’s Sweet Shop in Purdue Memorial Union.

Explore the Archives