Cornett Memories: Just another cinder block in the wall

UVic geography grad Alison Farquhar was all smiles when she claimed her prize for her winning story, “The Wall” in the Cornett Memory Contest (http://bit.ly/fOJRdk). She received an Apple iPad from Social Sciences’ Dean Peter Keller and took a tour of the renovated Cornett building. With the help of some fellow conspirators, Farquhar recreated the scene from April 1, 1973, when a group of geography students bricked up a portion of a hallway in the Cornett building. The prank was between geography and economics who were long standing rivals at the time.

“I enjoyed touching bases again with everyone involved to verify the facts,” she says. “Some I see all the time, but others have moved away and we rarely have any contact. Seeing the pictures again and writing the story stirred up many memories of my days at UVic.”

Alison’s story received over 1,000 votes, making her the clear winner in a contest that saw nearly 70 entries in total. “It was fun to see the counts go up daily; sometimes in the lead and then falling back and then in the lead again.”

The Cornett Memories contest was launched last November as a way to celebrate the memories of staff, faculty and students who spent much of their lives working and studying in the Cornett building. More Cornett memories: www.cornettmemories.uvic.ca/