Preserving History

Preserving Darlington’s history…that has been on my mind lately as plans are being made to resurrect the school archives. The Alumni Council has made the archives a priority project this year, and Rick Buice, Ann Glass and many Alumni Council members are working hard to bring the archives back to life in a new space in the McCallie-Kennedy Library.   

Darlington is beginning its 106th year; think about that for just a minute. One hundred and six years is a really long time. The world has seen so many changes in that time, and so has Darlington. In looking through some of the pictures and materials stored in the archives, it is amazing to see the transformation of this beautiful campus. 

There is a copy of a 1927 Darlingtonian that featured the architectural drawing of Wilcox Hall (first called “Main” then “Old Main” back in the day). Wilcox Hall and South Hall, which currently house the boys' residence halls, are under renovation this summer to provide our students with state-of-the-art housing. Seeing that old drawing made me think if only those walls could talk, I bet they could tell us many a tale! 

Although so much has changed on Darlington’s campus, what struck me most was what has not changed. In many of the pictures and articles it is apparent to me that Darlington was all about relationships and it still is today - the relationship between student and teacher and the relationships between classmate and classmate; even the relationship we each have with the beautiful campus! 

Alumni Weekend is an opportunity to revisit those relationships. Make plans to join us Oct. 15-17 and relive a little of your Darlington history!