The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, September 28, 1998, Image 3
Battalion Page 3 • Monday, September 28, 1998 Aggielife mfhancellor's home stands use in entertaining S c fn iversity guests n 1982, before anyone had thought of The Zone, a parking garage on West Campus or the new Library Annex, the Uni versity was expanding in other ways. The chancellor’s home, which was approved for construction that year, is an example of A&M adapting to fit the needs of its staff, ^^ihe chancellor at the time, Arthur Hansen, was the first to live i tie only new staff home constructed on campus since early this PK'Mury, when the University stopped providing staff housing. J PP orlt ®n July 31, 1984, the one-story ranch house located at Num- Hitdoot , ei p ne Reed Drive was given a name, and plans were made for || Mrlansens to move into the Chester J. & Billie Jean Reed House 1 i al matter of days. |_he home was named after the Reeds following a $1 million ation providing for the construction costs of the home. Con- :tion had begun in August 1983, and less than a year later ahead of schedule, the new residence was ready to be in- ted. The official announcement came on July 31 when the sens had made plans “to move in on Monday,” according to hide in The Battalion from that year. he home, which some may know only as “that building off eorge Bush” is very large and features numerous rooms for ntirtaining, as well as a catering kitchen to provide food for ■He events. Most of the space, however, is not considered a ed, tri lonhe but part of the administrative realm of the University. 1996, Nancy Hansen, wife of the former chancellor, said first i»thirds of the house was not their personal space. She also nghe iad things to say about the furnishings of the new home. rebtior.HMy feeling is that both presidents’ and chancellors’ homes he has Aonld be bare-boned. The people after us may not like the fur- ordeahBre that’s here now, and after all, people our age generally nee to |vb their own furniture,” she said in a Battalion article. ■rom the outside, the home is different from other buildings meap ifltampus constructed during that time. searing?■he ranch-style home is built around a scenic courtyard and come ountain that were donated by August and Lottie Bering. Bering jenuint |as a member of the Class of ’35 and wanted to contribute to ake th helnew home in some way. i imme: Bitting on a drive off Jersey Street between Wellborn and FM e,” the 818, the building sports other unique features. The copper roof, you si: tooden shutters, gypsum board walls and wooden floors help liter, he home stand out in little ways that some may not notice, s remarl. Bvhen the house was being constructed it was suggested that riter Th: pond be built to provide easy access for angling because Chan- shed i iellpr Hansen was a great fan of bass fishing, tot asC Bat Olsen, Class of ’23, provided $200,000 for the fishing pond, ? end oi B oversaw the construction himself. It was stocked by the ;ing touiiildlife& Fisheries Department with the understanding that test- andleuMwould be performed occasionally by the students. Olsen is Clintoi aid to have worked on the pond himself with his own bulldoz- jlifornl nnorder to avoid the red tape involved in an “official” project. Sunda; hen fev if lected :rat Gai I to tins# Jov. G e separ. ;onio a®! nd him nonstrata the intea San A® dazoneii ut Resif v was ath ionic see Chancellor on Page 4. jr ATi Dies Story by Gray Whitten Story by Stephen Wells A ‘ Traditional’ Eric Newnam/Thk Battalion The living area of the Texas A&M President’s home features much of the same furniture featured in the first president’s home. The first home was destroyed in a fire in 1963. architecture week Presidential residence houses pieces of A&M s past F rom the outside, it is an ordinary looking home. It could be the residence of any successful professional. How ever, for a house with pieces of furniture dating from over a century ago, it is easy to overlook the history of the understated University president’s home. There have, in fact, been two president’s homes on the Texas A&M campus. The first, built by Lawrence Sullivan Ross in 1893, was described as “an ordinary house for the well-to-do Texan to build for his family.” This first presidential home stood until 1963. At 70 years old, it was the oldest building on campus and home to 14 University presidents. In January 1963, a fire started in the vicinity of a fireplace and soon consumed the entire building. The Rudder family, who lived in the house at the time, enlisted the help of hundreds of students staying on campus over the Christmas break to save their belongings and help contain the blaze. By morning, the fire had been extinguished. The next day, Margaret Rudder, wife of Earl Rudder, thanked those involved. “I would like to give my sincere gratitude to the students, neighbors and firemen who braved the fire and the smoke to save our belongings,” she said. “If it had not been for the kind help of so many persons, we would have lost everything. ” The results of those volunteers can still be seen today. Visi tors can see almost all of the furniture saved from the fire on the first floor of the president’s current home, Sally Bowen, wife of University President Ray Bowen, said. “Actually, I would say almost 90 percent of the furniture in the downstairs area of the house is from the old home that burned down,” Bowen said. “The students who carried out the furniture saved the tables, the chairs and even the piano in the living room.” Shortly after the fire, the remains of the old home were de molished and the Rudders were forced to move into the Board of Directors’ quarters, with five children and no kitchen to cook in. The Rudders were forced to live under these conditions for some time because a property dispute kept R.L. Hunter, assis tant state 4-H club leader, from buying the home he was going to rent to the Rudder family for temporary housing. The dispute was settled when the Board of Directors stepped in to purchase the house until a replacement could be built on the Texas A&M campus ; The site they picked for the building was a 2.3-acre spread just behind Kyle Field where the presi dent’s current home is. In the tradition of Aggies helping Aggies, the new 7,000- square-foot, five-bedroom and four-bathroom home would be built for only $60,000. A great deal of the building materials were donated by friends and former students. see President on Page 4. Williams We are holding a presentation Monday, Sept. 28,1998 6-8 p.m. MSC, Room 145. We have many job opportunities available for full-time and internship positions in Engineering, IT, and Business. Pizza will be served. Don't miss this opportunity to come and hear about our company! < THE MABAZIME ) Because you can’t watch cable in the bathroom. Get 26 issues of ESPN The Magazine for only $13! That's a savings of 83% off the newsstand price. 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