When he was MSU's president from 1941 through 1969, John Hannah used to walk every morning from his home at Cowles House to Linton Hall office.
Stopping to bow his hat or talk to almost every student along the way was important to the university's 12th president, his friend and colleague, Roger Wilkinson said.
"He was very interested in the grounds - he loved the beauty of campus," said Wilkinson, who was a student during Hannah's presidency and the vice president of finance and operations during Hannah's last year as president. "You might be in the classroom, and you'd see John Hannah walking through the halls.
To honor his accomplishments, university officials will unveil a $195,000 statute of Hannah at 11 a.m. today in front of the Administration Building.
The 750-pound, seven-foot monument is a nearly twice life-size replica of the former president.
Wilkinson said the tribute is needed because MSU would not be the university it is today without the guidance of Hannah.
"He took a very small college and made it into the dynamic university it has become," Wilkinson said. "He set the tone for our whole heritage."
During Hannah's reign, the university grew in size and scope. Michigan State College became MSU, while the student population grew from 6,000 to almost 40,000. MSU was also introduced into the Big Ten.
A 700-acre college expanded into a 5,000-acre university, said Milton Muelder, vice president of research and graduate studies when Hannah was president.
Hannah also helped bring the cyclotron and medical school to MSU. It is because of his dedication to research and the land grant tradition that Hannah should be recognized, MSU President M. Peter McPherson said.
"He was a man of enormous vision, and, because of him, the fundamental land grant values that were applicable in his time are still applicable today - and I expect they will be for generations," McPherson said.
The statue's unveiling is part of MSU's sesquicentennial celebration, which recognizes the 150th anniversary of the university and commemorates its start as a land grant institution.
McPherson donated more than $10,000 for the statue, with the rest coming from other private donations. He also recommended the statue idea to the MSU Board of Trustees, McPherson said.
Hannah was driven to propel MSU into the national spotlight because he wanted to make a difference in the world, Muelder said.
"Before he became president, he was offered positions in private industry that would have paid him three times as much," Muelder said. "He realized it was possible to do something very worthwhile and useful in life beyond making money. He had a profound love of the campus and its students."
