Photos for Friday
John Robert Lewis Hall (plus the soapiest fountain of them all).
So, I will let James Joyner’s post on building names lead to an unusual multi-photo edition of the Photo for Friday.
First, John Robert Lewis Hall (formerly Bibb Graves Hall), framed by the suds from the most epic sudsing of the main quad’s fountain of all time:
“Lewis Hall in the Suds”
October 29, 2021
Troy, AL
Here’s the opposite view, to include said fountain:
The non-soaped fountain at night with Lewis Hall in the background:
November 17, 2021
At the re-naming of the building:
November 13, 2020
From my comment on James’ post:
Speaking for myself, I prefer that we no longer have the most prominent building on campus named after someone who was a Grand Cyclops of the KKK-and I say that understanding Graves’ legacy and all the complications of politics at the time (and let me note that while I understand the point, I cringe at the notion that politician X had to be in the Klan because that is just how things were at the time). His life and legacy are not erased from the history books by removing his name from the building, and I much prefer that building bearing the name of a civil rights icon-it is simply a better message (and also a bit of rectification, since Lewis, who was from Troy, was unable to attend the university in his youth owing to his race).
Every picture tells a story. I like this story.