Agriculture Hall to be renamed
after former counselor
By Luis Jiménez
Summer
Reporter
In Friday's meeting, the Purdue's Board of Trustees
agreed to rename Agricultural Hall after late Dave Pfendler — patron
academic counselor and associate dean who died in 1998 at age 90.
Agricultural Hall, the second oldest building on
campus, was built in 1901 and is considered one of Purdue's landmarks.
The building, which housed most of Purdue's agricultural faculty and
facilities, was renamed Entomology Hall in 1956. When the department
of entomology moved out, it was renamed Agricultural Hall.
The University plans to spend $12 million on the
now vacant 100-year-old building — shut down two years ago because
of safety concerns — to restore its structure and increase its
square footage by more than 70 percent.
Receiving the third renaming in its history, the
building will now be the David C. Pfendler Hall of Agriculture.
And it appears this is its final name.
"There's nobody more appropriate for that kind
of honor," said Myron Davis, director of the agricultural development
office and long-time friend of Pfendler. "He's regarded as the father
figure of Purdue agriculture to literally thousands of graduates."
Davis described Pfendler as "a very bright and
capable man, who was mentally engaged even after his retirement."
Pfendler retired in 1934 after 35 years of service
to the University. His various positions, first as counselor, and later
in his career as associate dean, gave him the opportunity to help as
well as discipline many students.
Davis said students often felt intimidated by him.
He recalls that back when Pfendler was academic counselor there were
few class changes because students had to meet with him to do that.
"His manner was sometimes intimidating," Davis
said. "But he was always appropriate. He was gruff if he needed to be
gruff; he was gentle if he needed to be gentle. And he had a great sense
of humor, which was necessary."
Davis recalled an incident in which a former student
after being told that Pfendler had died started crying and told Davis
how Pfendler made it possible for him to stay at Purdue, even when he
didn't have financial means to pay for his education. "Pfendler went
out and found the money for that young man to stay in school," Davis
said. "That was the kind of goodwill Pfendler engendered among our students
and alumni."
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