By Shannon Young
The class of 1949 contributed to BYU once again at its 55th class reunion.
Eldon H. Puckett, reunion chairman for the 2004 reunion committee, said they didn”t want a bench on campus; they wanted to give something that will last forever.
The class of ”49 was the first class to have a school ring; the first class to have a Cougarettes marching group and the first class to have an Honor Code.
As its graduating class gift, the class donated the pendulum that now hangs in the Eyring Science Center.
This year, Puckett”s classmates gave $100,000 and set up the Class of 1949 Endowment Fund.
President Cecil O. Samuelson accepted the award on Friday on behalf of the university. He said he was grateful for the generosity of the class. He said this gift would continue to give and build on the university after students and faculty are gone.
“I think that this is absolutely tremendous,” Samuelson said.
It will stimulate and encourage other classes to do the same, he said.
There were 1,761 class members in the original class of 1949 and over half are still living today. The classmates raised the money in five years with the help of their family and friends. The Class of 1949 Endowment Fund also received a generous donation from the university of $60,000 that makes the endowment $160,000. The purpose of the fund is to give money to young faculty members, who have not received their tenure. Each department will pick a faculty member to be awarded the money each year.
“I think it”s wonderful to give that much money,” said Karl A. Miller, a former student and the first buildings and grounds faculty member. “That”s a lot of money. These people are good BYU students to give that much to the university.”
Miller said BYU students went on University Hill, currently known as Y Mount, in the early 1900s with 1,600 people who were attending BYU, including the grade school that was part of BYU. They made a block Y and dedicated the land for BYU.
“It”s impossible to realize what [BYU] is and what it is going to be,” Miller said. “[BYU] isn”t through yet.”
Charles Eldon Bitter, student and faculty member in 1949, said it is a wonderful thing that has happened here.
“No question about it, it will be a great help to [faculty members] because this hasn”t been done before,” Bitter said.
The Class of 1949 also recognized 17 former teachers and administrators who are still living from the 1948-49 school year by presenting a framed painting of the BYU “Quad” as it was in 1949, by Frank Magleby.
“I think it”s wonderful. I am so amazed. I had forgotten all the things we”d done,” said Bruce Brynar, business student in 1949 from Price.
