To the editor:

I was walking on the KU campus earlier this week and realized as I passed by Wescoe Hall that it was 50 years ago when the building opened for classes and I attended my first classes there. I remember going up to the fourth floor and thinking how much the hallways reminded me of a high school, except there were no lockers — and ashtrays were available in the halls for those who wanted a smoke before class. Since chairs had not arrived yet for all the classrooms, my classmates and I in Spanish II began the semester sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. I can still picture the strange shades of yellow, green, orange and blue in the rooms — just the back walls — designed (so I was told) to make me more open to learning, although the teacher was the one who had to look at the back walls. I remember the very tiny, windowless room where my Western Civilization discussion group met. When I think of the lower three floors at that time, the word claustrophobia comes to mind.

Over the years I took many classes in Wescoe and eventually had the opportunity to teach classes myself in the building. Yes, Wescoe was/is ugly, but it was built for the humanities at a time when they were more appreciated. It played a big role in my academic life.

Chris Johnson,

Lawrence