Chapter 70 - The Spring Campus Renovation
Spring returned to Ohio with vibrant colors, melting away the winter snow and painting the Hartwell State campus in brilliant shades of emerald green and cherry blossom pink. The university administration initiated a major campus beautification project, which included the complete modernization of Whitmore Hall’s interior facilities.
As Chair of the Department of Economics, I was invited to participate in the architectural planning committee to ensure that the historic lecture halls—including Room 112—retained their classic academic character while incorporating state-of-the-art technological upgrades.
On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, I walked through Room 112 with the lead campus architect, reviewing the new lighting fixtures and acoustic paneling. As the architect stepped out to inspect the hallway wiring, I walked up to the front chalkboard.
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The new custodial crew had installed a pristine slate board. Neatly arranged in a precise, unbroken row along the wooden chalk ledge were the colored chalk markers: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple.
I smiled, reaching out to lightly touch the blue marker. The ghosts of the past were completely gone, replaced by an enduring legacy of excellence, dignity, and unwavering purpose. Every early morning shift, every exhausting night of studying, and every painful family rejection had been necessary steps on a path I forged entirely on my own terms.
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