HOGANS

Chapter One. Where we were born

Class Halls



Known as the University Halls or U-Halls, the Class Halls were originally all-male dormitories built on West Campus in 1953. They were designed by Chapman, Evans & Delehanty and Quinlivan, Pierik & Krause. Although officially denied by Cornell, some claim that when constructed, they were intended to be temporary housing (as evidenced, for example, by the transitory fiberglass showers) until better structures could be built. The six halls were named for Elmer Sperry (the inventor of the gyroscope) and the Cornell graduating classes of 1917, 1918, 1922, 1926, and 1928.

In 1987, these buildings were gutted and the original aluminum-framed windows replaced with dark-brown metal casings. More study spaces and kitchens were added, and the capacity of each University Hall was reduced.

In 1885, Andrew Dickson White's final presidential report warned the University of the day when "all be hard and dry, [the University]'s buildings mere boxes." Such a description is apt to describe the Class Halls. All were built in a similar box-like fashion, lacking individualizing characteristics and architectural complexity. The interiors were indistinguishable from each other, as well. Although not as clear with the addition of the Noyes Community Center, the Class Halls formed a quadrangle arranged symmetrically along an axis formed by the War Memorial. The Transfer Center, one of two West Campus Program Houses, resides in the Class of 1917 Hall. This Program House, established in 1977, was dissolved in May 2007 when the building was torn down. Between 2003 and 2007, the halls were demolished in favor of larger residential colleges as part of former president Hunter R. Rawlings III's "West Campus Housing Initiative." For many years Sperry Hall (University Hall #6) was also a Program House. The Class of 1926 Hall housed the Just About Music (JAM) Program House.

By 2007, all of the Class Halls had been demolished. In their place, Flora Rose House and William Keeton House dormitories were constructed and finished by the summer of 2008.

The Late, Great U-Hall 1

       

Chapter 2. Where we spent our childhood

See Chapter 1.

Chapter 3. Where Are We Now?

To be determined.

The Roster

Moose #86

Known around campus as The Moose, his nickname's origin are lost in the mists of time. He demonstrated a quick release, which made his shots tough to block and girlfriends tough to satisfy. Will forever be remembered for his two signs: "86 Hoofbeats" and "Moose Member Parking Only"

Mr. B #36D

Mr. B, alternately known as Baxmo after the Eggmo Incident, took the word "Power" out of Power Forward. His unorthodox defense was particularly effective against strong teams, where his running commentary would distract their attention while his long arms cut off the passing lanes.

Jake #28

Proud that throughout his career, he never had a shot blocked. This was partly due to his high release in a patented fadeaway jump shot, and partly because once teams saw the fadeway's effectiveness, they let him shoot it all night long.

Nimrod #32

Widely considered the team's anchor, there's no way of knowing how far the Hogans could have gone without Nimrod weighing them down. Patterned his game after Bill Walton, if Walton was 8" shorter, slower, and couldn't shoot.

Bozrah #7

The point guard of a potent attack, Boz spearheaded the Hogans fast-attack offense by knifing through the lane to the hoop. On those occasions when the ball wasn't stolen, he helped the his teammates become league leaders in offensive rebounds.

Mildo #47

The self-titled "Spider-man" will forever be Mildo to the Hogans. He prided himself on his extraordinary quickness, as evidenced by his remarkable ability to descend stairs without actually touching the steps with his feet. In numerous instances, he was so quick that sometimes the rest of the Hogans never even noticed.

Duke #?

Lord Godfrey von Duke brought his height to the floor with him for every game. He possessed a deft shooting touch and didn't hesitate to use it. When Duke was on the floor and there was time left on the clock, no lead was safe, especially when the Hogans were ahead.

Muckweed #?

No one really knows how the eponymous Muckweed Shuffle got its name. Presumably at some point, in the presence of Elsa, Muckweed shuffled and there you go. We all knew he was destined for greatness, which is why we don't know where he is today...

Bino #?

Another in the long line of Hogans' forwards. Bino was not known for great leaping ability, superior court speed, or an accurate shooter's touch. He could, however, absorb tremendous punishment from detergent packets.

KenBrettAndWayne

Unknown to many, KenBrettAndWayne were actually one and the same people. He were from Canarsie, played lacrosse, and loved to show off their spider collection. Occasionally sightings were made of one, singly, in the wild. These were largely discounted.

Oh Shit #?

Oh Shit gained his nickname from his favorite expressions of excitement ("Oh Shit!"), bewilderment ("Oh, shit?") and despair ("Oh shit..."). He was rumored to have lost his sense of smell in a freak accident involving his roommate's cow-crapped coveralls, sandlewood incense and two-month old pile of dirty clothes.

Fuckin Bwibes #?

Bwibes' dedication was such that he will long be remembered for sharpening his skis ("It's September already") and brandishing his pristine-condition, pimples-in Butterfly pingpong paddle on Sunday night trips to Barton. He was also somewhat studious, which meant that many of the Hogans seldom saw him.

Hogans Supporters

As we all know, you can spell the word for hogans supporters with four letters: B-R-A-S, um, I mean, J-K-L-M, our dependable 2nd floor fan club. They were valued for sticking with us win or lose, which was a good thing, considering.

J

Spoke with a British acccent, although as far as anyone knew she'd never been outside NY State.

K

Spoke with a Hawaiian accent, which was good because that's where she was from.

L

Claim to fame: she was from Westchester County, as was Mr. B. This was before Hillary Clinton, so Mr. B was the county's main attraction.

M

A cousin of the Duke...this probably meant more to him then it did to her, as I never heard her mention it.

Floor Plan, Class of 17 Hall (aka U-Hall 1) Fall 1975


Send updates to nimrod@hogans.us. Include the location of the room, your room number, and who lived there!

Other 3rd floor residents who have stood the test of time and fading memories

Gary H.
the RA, business major, graduated in Spring '76. Fell for the old "We've looked over your resume and would like to offer you a job" hoax phone call.
Gene C.
Duke's roommate. Remembered as the more serious of the two (which ain't sayin' much). Rumored to be at Boeing.
Marvin
the exotic athlete, rumored to be on the All-Caribbean Basketball All-star Team. Not sure if he could speak, as no one can remember actually hearing him say anything.
Ken H.
gave Nimrod the nickname Little John, which never stuck.
Southern Boogie
(aka Lysle W., a Hotelie) Say no more. Poor blighter never made it. Possibly Blisters contributed to his early demise.
Young Dale
the conscience of the floor...he didn't make it out of December, as far as anyone knew.
Yukon
aka Bob G., he was a fine chess player and Canadian. In that order. Also went away after Freshman year. Last seen at the Ottawa Chess club in 2007.
Mike S.
Moose's roommate
Gerry B.
Alas, little is known of Gerry since the late '70's, and even during the late '70's. If you have any information, please drop us a line!
Hawaii (?)
A pranker before the term existed. Will eternally be remembered for one salutation: "Dear Ms. Lingus...".
Cecil
Mr. B's roommate, which is penalty enough that we hope he's living a relaxing life today.
Dave S.
Hotelie and ROTC. Everybody's big brother...just don't piss him off.
Scott G.
Straight A's, hard-science major, and younger than any other freshman anyone knew (maybe 16?). We think he's probably still younger than we are now. The bastard.
Weino
We know today that secondhand smoke kills. Back when we were freshman, secondhand smoke clung to Weino like beads of sweat to Janet Lupo's hogans. It didn't seem to be killing him, but it did make him sleepy.
Captain Enthalpy
say again? aka Bob D., was brains of the hall so we didn't see him too much. Related to a famous physics researcher, we think. Certainly looked the part.
Ziffle
Only emerged from his den on particulary bright days when the sun was at its apex. If his metabolism were any lower, it would be negative.
Scott P.
Tallest on the floor, Scott was Big Pharma before there *was* a Big Pharma. Also developed a taste for salty snacks.
Richard ?
The missing fourth link in the Moose, Muck, Duke and Dickless Baker Dorm Suite. He may be the head of a large Manhattan finance firm, or maybe growing potatoes out in Suffolk country. One or the other.
Charlie W.
Quite studious type that lived down at the end of the hall. Was he a math major? Odds are he was. Friendly, but never was too social with the Hogans, which means he's probably tremendously successful today.
The Marks, N and M
Shared a room and a name, but didn't share the Hogans much. Stood proudly, apart. Come to think of it, that's a good characteristic of hogans...
Jon C.
Studious, quiet...maybe TOO studious and quiet; the Hogans never saw too much of him. Ergo undoubtedly successful today.
*Note: Last names have been initialized to protect the Hogans above from their kids possibly seeing the page and saying "Dad, was that you?"