HAMMOND – It all started 69 years ago with one small building called “The Center” on grounds that would eventually house today’s multi-dimensional Purdue University Calumet.
“We were a land-grant university, focusing on science and agriculture,” said PUC chancellor Thomas Keon, as he opened the third annual Founders Day event in the Calumet Falls area of the Student Union Library Building. “But there also was a significant amount of manufacturing in the area, and engineering was brought in.”
Of the many games offered during the Founders Day party, laser tag seemed to be the most popular.
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Fifteen-minute sessions in Alumni Hall found teams of four working through maze field operations.
PUC sophomore Tom Hager was among the first laser tag group headed to Alumni Hall and said he was interested in the history he was learning in regard to the campus.
“It’s great to see everyone involved in an event like this,” he said. “This (school) is who we are, how it relates to our dreams. Just like it did for the founders’ dreams.”
Over in the Hospitality and Tourism Management building, located on the south end of campus, Whiting’s Mr. Perogi, PUC 2000 graduate Matt Valukis, made a guest appearance
He mingled with patrons and discussed Purdue Calumet history during lunch hour at the student-run restaurant.
“It’s important for today’s students to know about the school’s background,” he said. “If you don’t know where you came from, how do you know where you’re going?”
The impetus to honor the development of school’s “official” date was the brainchild of PUC Assistant Athletic Director Matt Dudzik.
The school had in the past celebrated milestone birthdays – 10 years, 25 years, 40 years, 50 years and 60 years. But nothing had ever been noted on the date of Feb. 25 – the actual month and day Purdue University Calumet was officially founded, he said.
“I found this out while researching the school’s history three years ago,” Dudzik said. “It was announced on Feb. 25, 1946, that Purdue Calumet would continue extension operations in the Calumet Region on a permanent basis. I feel this is an important date and moment in our school’s history and should be celebrated.”
Dudzik and University Associate Director of Advancement and University Events Sheryl Corey, along with many volunteers, have coordinated the commemoration each year.
“The founding of Purdue University Calumet is an event in which we take great pride celebrating,” Corey said. “The variety of events was scheduled with the hope of bringing together our campus, alumni and nearby communities.”