Encore Northrop

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Editor’s Note

MINNESOTA PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION SINCE 1901

President and CEO

Lisa Lewis

A Grand Reopening of the Imagination

W

hen I attended the press conference at Coffman Memorial Union last November announcing plans for the grand reopening of the Northrop, I experienced something foreign in my 27 years of attending press conferences: I felt inspired. I had toured the Northrop a couple of years ago, in the earliest days of the revitalization project, but as I listened to University Provost Karen Hanson (B.A. ’70) and others describe the transformation that was taking place, it became clear that this project was vastly bigger than making an old building functional again. It was a fundamental reimagining. The revitalization creates a state-of-the-art facility that is, in Hanson’s words, at multiple crossroads: a literal one at the center of campus; of the past, present, and future of the University; and of academics and the arts. I hope the inspiration I felt then comes through in the pages of this issue of Minnesota. We’re pleased to give alumni a sneak preview of the reimagined Northrop, beginning with photographs from the early days of the project, when the theater was dismantled down to the Cynthia Scott dirt and daylight streamed in where an exterior wall used to be, and including whatever finishing touches we could squeeze in before press time. Patrick O’Leary (M.A. ’86), the University’s dogged photographer who began documenting the revitalization almost from the first strike of the shovel, made his hundreds of photographs available to us. Would that we could have published all of them instead of a fraction! As you view the photos and read the articles, keep in mind that, were it not for alumni, the Northrop would never have arisen on the patch of earth it has occupied since 1929. The possibility of creating such a facility—one that eventually became known as The Carnegie of the Midwest because of the luminaries that graced its stage—was withering away for lack of funds until alumni dug deep in their pockets to bring the $1.32 million project to fruition. It’s a testament to the impact alumni have had and continue to have on shaping the life of this University. When we first began working on this issue, I was surprised and delighted to discover how readily people talked about their memories of the Northrop. Whether alumni or not, people have abundant and vivid recollections of the place. Such is the power of the Northrop in the imagination and experience of students, alumni, and the wider community. But don’t take my word for it. Make a plan to come to campus and experience the new Northrop for yourself. In the meantime, enjoy this issue of Minnesota. n Cynthia Scott (M.A. ’89) is the editor of Minnesota. She can be reached at scott325@ umn.edu.

4   S p r i n g 2 0 1 4 M I N N E S O TA

Vice President of Communications

Daniel Gore Editor

Cynthia Scott Editor (on leave)

Shelly Fling Copy Editor

Susan Maas Contributing Editor

Meleah Maynard Contributing Writers

George Barany, Sarah Barker,   Jennifer Benson, Tim Brady, Greg Breining, Karen Hanson, Mary Hoff, Shannon Juen, J. Trout Lowen, Deane Morrison, Andy Steiner, Jane Toleno Contributing Photographers

Dan Marshall, Patrick O’Leary, Matthew Rakola, Stephanie Rau,   Paul Smith, Sher Stoneman Art Director

Kristi Anderson, Two Spruce Design Graphic Designer

Mike Lee Advertising Rates and Information

Ketti Histon  612-280-5144, histon@msn.com Minnesota (ISSN 0164-9450) is published four times a year (Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer) by the University of Minnesota   Alumni Association for its members.   Copyright ©2014 by the   University of Minnesota Alumni Association   McNamara Alumni Center  200 Oak Street SE, Suite 200  Minneapolis, MN 55455-2040   612-624-9658, 800-UM-ALUMS (862-5867)   fax 612-626-8167  www.MinnesotaAlumni.org To update your address, call 612-624-9658 or   e-mail alumnimembership@umn.edu Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, Minnesota, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to: McNamara Alumni Center 200 Oak St. SE, Suite 200 Minneapolis, MN 55455-2040

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