Celebrating a Century of the Purdue Memorial Union, a Q & A with author Robert L. Mindrum

Purdue University Press spoke with former Purdue Memorial Union Director and author Robert L. Mindrum about his new book, Purdue Memorial Union: The First 100 Years, 1924–2024. The Purdue Memorial Union celebrated its celebrated its centennial in 2024 and this is the book for Purdue alumni, fans, and friends to memorialize this cherished campus landmark and look into its future.

Q: Could you give a brief description of your book?

The book is a celebration of the first 100 years of the Purdue Memorial Union’s history. It details the evolution of the college union movement, the incredible effort to build a union at Purdue, the magnificent architecture of Pond & Pond, the countless contributions of the Purdue Student Union Board (PSUB) in bringing activities and programs to the Union and to campus, and the importance of the Union’s hospitality operations in making it the center of community at Purdue.

Q: What is the goal of your book? What motivated you to write it?

100 years is a long time for any organization to exist, much less to grow and thrive in meeting the needs of a major public university. I wanted people to understand and appreciate the rich history of PMU and to celebrate its past, present and future contributions to Purdue.

Q: What are a few things that are being studied for the first time in this book? (What is interesting about your book, why should people read it.)

Much has been written over the years about specific aspects of the Union, but this is the first comprehensive look at all of its many facets. Those include organizational purpose and mission; fundraising; building architecture; early floor plans and facility use; PSUB and its tireless efforts to fill the Union with life and activity; and the evolution of dining, lodging and other hospitality functions over the years.

Many people know that Pond & Pond were the architects of record, but few understand how their association with Jane Addams (founder of Hull House in Chicago) and others within the Progressive Era Movement during the early 1800s, helped shape their devotion and commitment to community-building, and clearly influenced the architecture of our union.

Q: Is there anything that shocked or surprised you while working on this project?

While I was very much aware of the Union’s wonderful architecture, I was surprised by Pond & Pond’s intentional and purposeful use of symbolism to slowly, subtly but inexorably affect the building’s users over time.

Q: What forthcoming event(s) are you most excited about?

In just a few weeks, PSUB will once again sponsor its annual Veterans Day ceremony—a special day for PMU since the word “Memorial” in its name honors the 4,013 Purdue men who served in WWI and the 67 who died.

The event takes place in the Great Hall, which itself was specifically designed as a memorial to those men. It will include a presentation of colors by the Purdue ROTC, speeches from veterans and university officials, and patriotic songs by the Purduettes. If you have never attended one of these moving ceremonies and experienced the beautiful acoustics of the Great Hall, you are truly missing out.       

Q: What’s your favorite architectural detail in PMU? Why?

The multi-colored stained glass windows are my favorite architectural detail in the Union. They were meant to symbolize the many races and creeds to be found within the Union. Given that they were created in 1924–some three decades prior to any meaningful integration efforts in America—it demonstrates just how progressive and ahead-of-their time the Pond brothers were in recognizing and reinforcing the community-building mission of college unions.

Q: What’s one past event at PMU you wish you could have attended? Why?

Two events come to mind. First, I would have loved to have been in the Union’s South Ballroom (then called the Assembly Room) in 1939, attending the dedication of the newly constructed North Ballroom. During the reception beautiful strains of music were heard. And as the moveable wall between the two ballrooms slowly lifted, it revealed Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra featuring their new lead singer—Frank Sinatra.

Secondly, as a confirmed Deadhead who has attended over a dozen of their live concerts, I would love to have been in that same North Ballroom on April 18, 1969 when the Grateful Dead played there (and by the way, a recording of that concert is still available on the internet).

Q: Do you think the role of PMU in student life is the same as it was when it was first built? How is it the same? How is it different?

Before the Union opened in 1924, student life outside the classroom was spread across various locations and buildings—none of them really capable of supporting large or multiple events. There were no residence hall cafeterias and just a handful of local, “mom and pop” diners and pool halls.

So when this magnificent building emerged out of barren farmland, it was an overnight sensation, with a large cafeteria and dining room, a soda fountain (predecessor to the legendary Sweet Shop), a billiard room with ten tables, a barber shop, men’s and women’s lounges, offices for the few student organizations and “hobby clubs,” and of course the Assembly Room (now the South Ballroom) which would be home to hundreds of dances over the years with orchestras featuring names like Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Count Basie, among many others.

Fast forward to 2024, with many of Purdue’s academic facilities having lounges for student interaction, offices for student organizations connected to their specific discipline, spaces for meetings and events, and even coffee shops and restaurants. As the campus grew, it became a longer walk to the Union, and today there are over 1,000 registered student organizations looking for space and competing for students’ free time.

Thanks in large part to the efforts of PSUB, which has been in existence since before the building even opened, the Union today remains a major force in student life, sponsoring hundreds of events each year across a wide range of interests. And the Union itself has also evolved with 12 popular restaurants (including a Starbucks (TM)) replacing the original cafeteria, a fully renovated Union Club Hotel that is part of the Marriott Autograph Collection, upscale catering, beverage and fine dining services, recreational opportunities including extreme bowling, billiards and video gaming, dozens of meeting rooms and offices available to student organizations, comfortable lounges for informal interaction, and a variety of tenant operations (e.g., credit union, eye care services, a packaging and delivery store, and a Purdue apparel store). Notable is that many of the tenant operations are a direct result of student input communicated through PSUB as part of their cooperative management function, wherein they regularly advise the Union Director on all aspects of the organization.

Despite all the changes, the underlying premise of student life in the Union remains the same: to provide a comfortable gathering place where students, faculty, staff, alumni and guests may interact; and to provide social, cultural, educational and recreational opportunities that enhance the student experience, augment academic education, and prepare students for life in an increasingly complex world. In other words, to produce citizens as well as scholars.

Q: What is one fact current students and alumni should know about the Purdue Memorial Union?

People should know that despite the many businesses located in the Union, it is not intended to be a shopping mall and its purpose is not to return profit to shareholders. Rather, it offers these services to support students in their educational journey and to help build a strong sense of community that makes a large University more welcoming, intimate and inclusive.

You can get 30% off Purdue Memorial Union: The First 100 Years, 1924–2024 and any other Purdue University Press book by ordering from our website and using the code PURDUE30 at checkout.