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Memories Of USF's UC

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By JACK HARRIS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 30, 2008

Last week, a group of USF students, faculty and guests gathered outside the new Phyllis P. Marshall Student Center to honor the old building which is about to be razed. The speakers included school luminaries including President Judy Genshaft, a representative of the Phyllis Marshall family, (that would be me, as Phyllis was my first cousin once-removed, which is a West Virginia thing) and people who have been a part of the center, past and present.

It was known as the University Center from the time of its opening in 1960 until it was renamed for Marshall in 1994 upon her retirement as director after 34 years at the helm.

The most compelling speaker was Jim Vastine, who had been in the first graduating class, the class of '64, and who had gone on to serve as a university librarian for 35 years.

Vastine recounted what it was like when the school first opened, with Fowler Avenue being a backwoods road with only the old University Restaurant and a gas station on it. Fletcher was no more than a paved cow path that ran only to 42nd street, and Bruce B. Downs was the "road to nowhere."

Downtown Tampa was eight miles away and of course there was no interstate highway.

USF opened with only three buildings which were the administration building, the chemistry building and the University Center, which was the hub of social life, student government, commerce and a host of classes.

There were about 2,000 people enrolled, as opposed to the 34,000 on that campus today.

Incidentally, the highlight of the ceremony for the hundreds of students on hand was undoubtedly the cutting and serving of an enormous two tier cake shaped like the old Marshall Center. Unlike the old edifice which will take several weeks to bring down, the cake was razed entirely in about 15 minutes.
Den Mother
The first on-campus residents back in 1960 were 45 co-eds who lived on the top floor of the UC. The den mother of that group was Phyllis Marshall. For years, USF was known as a "suitcase campus" with most of the students living away from the school.

Another interesting story that emerged from a day of nostalgia related to the student dress of the day, 48 years ago. Though there was no dress code per se in the early years, several students were expelled from the University Center for wearing shorts, leading enrollees to demand some kind of dress code.

Then Dean of Students Herbert Wunderlich refused to be any more specific than to ask for "appropriate" clothing, saying that the administration hoped students would look upon life in class as a professional thing and not a sports or leisure activity.

If Mr. Wunderlich were to behold the student dress of today he would become apoplectic, perhaps thinking he had stumbled into a big beach party or a gigantic sleepover.

Jocularly,

Jack

Jack Harris co-hosts AM Tampa Bay on WFLA-AM.

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