Feature: Celebratin 140 Years With MSU 'Cotillion'

For MSU's 140th birthday, the university sponsored a 'cotillion' at Cowles House in August. The event kicked off a historical countdown leading to MSU's Sesquicentennial in 2005. 'This university has such a varied history,' explains Joanne McPherson, co- host along with President Peter McPherson. 'We need to highlight it. From the letters I received, people were very, very excited.'

The McPhersons attended as Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Williams, MSU's first presidential family. Others came as President and Mrs. Abraham Lincoln, General Custer, and Michigan's Civil War Governor Austin Blair. Former presidents Cecil Mackey and Gordon Guyer came as themselves. President and distinguished professor emeritus Walter Adams performed as Master of Ceremonies while Barbara Kimball, MSUAA assistant director, coordinated the event. Adding to the atmospherics, the Pleasant Moments Vintage Dancers performed in period costumes, while the Queen's Quadrille and Quickstep Society Band provided the music, using authentic instruments. The 7th Michigan Infantry Co. came in Civil War uniforms. 'All sorts of projects are going on and they will come together over the next decade,' notes Joanne. 'They will help us focus on the MSU story.'

They include a three-volume history tome, a book on MSU's architectural history, a display at the MSU Museum, and development activities to fund the historical preservation of buildings on campus. A number of restorations are in the works, including--happily for tradition-minded Spartans--the chimes at Beaumont Tower.