By Ben Anderson
6-18-2024
Listen to the audio version of this story here.
The Marshall Memorial Fountain, which is considered by many as a voice of Marshall University, symbolizes the remembrance of the plane crash that took the lives of 75 sons and daughters of Marshall University on November 14 1970.
On June 14, the Marshall Memorial Fountain was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places. Marshall University President Brad Smith says that it is a blessing to experience the rebuild of the university as a son of Marshall.
“I was six years old when I heard the sirens wail and I saw the mountain burning outside of my home in Kenova West Virginia and then I was a junior in 1984 when the Thundering herd achieve his first winning season following that tragedy and I stayed before you today the first alumnus and 187 years to have the privilege to come home and serve her as a son of Marshall,” President Smith says.
The nomination for the Register of Historic Places was written by Cody Straley, a 2021 alumnus of Marshall and current structural historian for the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History. Straley says that the reason for the nomination was the impact that the fountain has had on the people of the State of West Virginia.
“I’m just thrilled to have written this Nomination for this since 1972 generations of students have been inspired by this Fountain and what it represents and it is my hope that it will continue to inspire future generations of students both of Marshall and throughout the great state of West Virginia,” Straley says.
President Smith says that a former son of Marshall writing the nomination shows the strong connection that alumni have with the traditions of the university.
“That is the power of We, when we say our rally cry “We Are Marshall” the most important word, is the first word “We” There are 100 and 20,000 alumni who have come through the halls of Marshall University. We stand on their shoulders and we are proud to push it to the next level and to have a son of Marshall write this nomination just signifies everything we stand for,” President Smith says.
With the Marshall University Memorial Fountain nominated for the Register of Historic Places, the nomination will now move to the National Parks Services to be added to the list of historical places in the United States.
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