Spark

Knollcrest was wilderness area

My wife Barb and I appreciated the article “A Creation Classroom” (summer 2010). As alumni from the 1960s we have not seen the Ecosystem Preserve on the “east” campus but we hope to get there soon.

This reminded me of my being a first-year student and part of the very first class on the new Knollcrest campus in the fall of 1962. The only classrooms were in the unfinished library building. And, 2x8-inch planks were laid denoting paths from there to the four residence halls and the dining hall.

In Biology 101 we took a hike through the grasses to the north edge of the campus (near Lake Drive). On this “field trip” we waded into a pond in this remote field to explore examples of the little critters in their natural settings. We got muddy and we “got learning” from the untouched areas of the new campus. There were no plant or animal labels. And, this “wilderness” area had no established paths or boardwalks. But, I do have memories of our learning in the natural areas long before development took over. Thanks for sparking the memories.

Dan F. Bloem ’66
Jenison, Mich