Don Park lifted the black cloth and wiped a tear away from his face. After spending more than 30 years at Ball State University as a student, teacher and administrator, Park was immortalized forever Wednesday, when a bronze plaque of his likeness was unveiled at his namesake, Park Hall.
Emotions ran high for a man who has lived next to Ball State most of his life and whose family has seen five generations of the Park family pass through campus.
"I've spent a lot of years here," he said. "My family and I have all been very close to this institution. Being so involved [at Ball State] made this really special."
At 2:36 p.m., East Residence Hall was officially re-named Park Hall as Park and President Jo Ann Gora cut the traditional red ribbon in Park Hall's multipurpose room.
Ball State students, faculty and administrators, Park's friends and family and prominent political figures Mayor Dan Canan and State Senator Sue Errington packed the room to full-capacity to witness a rare occurrence.
"It's unusual for the Board [of Trustees] to have a building named after a school administrator," Gora said. "They are usually named after major [financial] contributors. But we named this after a family that has 87 years of dedication to the university. A family that is emblematic of Ball State."
Twenty-two members of the Park family have attended or are attending Ball State, including fifth-generation Park family member and junior Ryan Pickell.
"It's a great honor to be a part of this family," Pickell said. "I really feel like a part of the campus."
Many of the Park Ball State graduates have been involved in the university after they left, but none have played as significant of a role as Don Park. He started at Ball State in 1957, majoring in business with a minor in journalism. By that time attending Ball State was already a family tradition.
"My family was full of teachers who went here, and I came and visited all the time," Park said. "I'm not sure I even considered any other place."
When Park attended Ball State he lived in Elliot Hall, which at that time was only two years old and fairly advanced. After going on his fifth tour of Park Hall, he noted how different "state-of-the-art" means today. He was particularly enamored with the building's design, which gave students increased privacy as well as several areas to socialize. He said the attention to detail and quality of the technology also were impressive.
"This building was designed for students," Park said. "They thought of all of the details and that makes it very competitive for students considering living off-campus."
However, Park loved campus even before all of the new additions of the past couple of decades, and his familiarity and love of Ball State led him to return to Muncie for a teaching position in 1966. He held various positions at Ball State on and off over the next 40 years, retiring last June as vice president for university advancement.
Board of Trustees President Thomas DeWeese has known Park for almost 30 years and said Park's passion for helping people made Ball State a natural fit.
"He has a genuine interest in people," DeWeese said. "How people work together and helping people work towards ideas and projects."
Park's old boss, Bob Linson, hired Park as associate director of alumni at Ball State in 1974, because Park was such a committed worker.
"He was a doer," Linson said. "He would get jobs done. He was very creative. I would tell him, 'I don't want any new ideas until you finish some of the old ones.'"
Even though Park retired, he wants to remain involved in the university. He has stayed on as a special adviser to the president and is probably going to remain in that position for at least the next two years. In addition, he attends as many university events as he can, including football and basketball games, artist exhibitions, university symphony performances and special guest lectures.
"I've lived next to a college campus for 41 years now," Park said. "You get used to all of the activities, and I enjoy them. People ask if I'll move to Florida now that I'm retired, and I say, 'Why would I want to move to Florida when I have so much here.'"
Visit www.bsudailynews.com/parkhall for a NewsWatch video of the Park Hall opening.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
