Sparty Statue

On June 9, 1945, history was made. The MSU Spartans met their valiant leader who continues to be the most celebrated and valued symbol of MSU by fans, students and alumni around the world.

The original Sparty statue, weighing around 5,000 pounds and standing at 9 feet 7 inches tall, was revealed to the public in 1945 by sculptor Leonard D. Jungwirth. During the 23 years that he spent as a professor of sculpture at MSU, he devoted nearly two years of his life to creating “The Spartan,” which became the world’s largest free-standing ceramic figure.mr

Before Sparty became the central icon for the university and redefined the dynamics of the sports teams, from 1909 to 1925, the university was called the Michigan Agricultural College.

So how did the term “Spartans” come to exist on campus? In 1925 when Michigan Agricultural College became Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, the sports teams, who were formerly known as the “Aggies” or the “Farmers,” decided they wanted a new name.

“Michigan Staters”mr was chosen as the winner from a student contest, but Lansing State Journal sports editor George Alderton believed that this name did not “lend itself to headline writing.” After searching through the list of suggestions from the contest, Alderton found the name “Spartans” which was proposed by Michigan State baseball player Perry Fremont.

On April 2, 1926, Alderton used the term Spartans in a headline that was covering a baseball game in Fort Benning, Georgia, instead of referring to the team as the “Aggies.” The State News quickly adopted the new term, and thus the university embraced this new identity.

As of 2005, Sparty now resides in the west lobby of Spartan Stadium, while a bronze version stands just feet from where the original statue stood for nearly six decades.

“The Spartans are a historically significant part of the Greek civilization, and the ideas that they hold reflect everything that the student body aspires to be, such as being ambitious,” MSU alumnus Ray Hidalgo said.

The Rock

As a prominent symbol of MSU, the rock on Farm Lane continues to shape the culture of the university by serving as a canvas that captures the evolving thoughts of students on campus.

“It’s a very good outlet for student voice and opinion,” computer science senior Michael Aughton said.

According to professor of anthropology Lynne Goldstein, this symbol of the university is unique because it represents the things that students really care about.

“It’s a student-created monument, so the rock is really more active,” Goldstein said.

The rock originated in 1873 when the senior class decided to donate the large rock as part of a gift-giving tradition at MSU. The rock was removed from what is now the Beal Botanical Garden before it was moved under an elm tree near Beaumont Tower by a team of 20 oxen.

Over the years, this icon became widely known as the “Engagement Rock” as many students proposed at this spot. Throughout history, the rock has also served as a way for students to protest and voice their opinions on controversial issues.

According to the MSU University Archives & Historical Collections, the rock was temporarily moved near the Department of Public Safety Building in 1977 after students were accused of painting the rock with controversial messages.

In the mid 1980s, The rock was moved to Auditorium Road, where it still resides today as a prominent hub for student activities.

Beaumont Tower

As the chiming of the bells resonate throughout campus, Beaumont Tower continues to create a sense of unity and tradition among the university as one of the most distinguished and enduring icons of MSU.

On the site of what was once College Hall, the tower was dedicated to the university on June 22, 1929, as a gift from alumnus John Beaumont, who graduated with the class of 1882.

As the first building on MSU’s campus, College Hall was commonly recognized as the first establishment dedicated to teaching scientific agriculture in the U.S. During a renovation in 1918, the hall collapsed and was quickly replaced by artillery garages.

According to MSU University Archives & Historical Collections, Beaumont offered this gift in an attempt to preserve the historical and “sacred” grounds where this first building once stood.

“He donated money to build the Beaumont Tower as a sort of iconic emblem of the beginnings of MSU,” Lynne Goldstein, professor of anthropology, said.

Reaching its highest peak at 104.67 feet, the tower is home to a set of 49 bronze bells that make up the famous carillon that weighs a total of 13.5 tons. A carillon is a musical instrument that is played by means of a keyboard system consisting of levers and pedals that strike the bells when the carillonneur engages them.

In 1941, School of Music piano professor Wendell Westcott tested his musical abilities in the tower and became MSU’s most esteemed carillonneur.

In the past, the university offered half-hour concerts that were scheduled every Sunday throughout the year.

Upon the tower’s completion in 1928, university President Robert Shaw’s belief that the monument should function as “the center of all activities of this institution” has remained relatively true throughout the years.

In the 1960s and 1970s, many civil rights and antiwar protests occurred at Beaumont Tower, where thousands of students were said to have showed up on numerous occasions.

In 1934, the female honor society dedicated to serving visually impaired students on campus under the name of Tower Guard was founded by Shaw’s wife. The now co-ed honor society is recognized as the oldest student organization on campus today.

Aside from Tower Guard, the tower has instilled many other traditions within the university, including the legend that an individual cannot become a true Spartan until they have been kissed in the tower’s shadow.

The Dairy Store

A visit to MSU is not complete without a visit to the Dairy Store.

The first traces of Dairy Store ice cream dates back to 1958 when the school’s dairy department opened as a research facility. The store was later to sell limited amounts of cheese and ice cream on campus, while also giving free tours to students.

From humble beginnings, the Dairy Store was only open two afternoons a week and offered a limited selection of chocolate and vanilla ice cream. A gelatin-like dairy product containing pieces of fruit, called frumil, was recognized as one of the most popular items on the menu.

Since its official start in 1958, it is clear that the Dairy Store has transformed into an iconic location on campus that offers unique flavors that are evolving alongside the university’s culture.

Because of MSU’s start as an agricultural school, jazz studies sophomore Dakota Peterson said the Dairy Store embodies the entire school’s history.

“It’s the one place that I had heard about prior to becoming a student,” Peterson said.

Today, the Dairy Store’s No. 1 seller is their “Sesquicentennial Swirl,” which tastes like birthday cake and was created in 2005 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of MSU.