I attended Navy Pier from 9/52 to 6/55 including two summer sessions. I always had a well paying job nearby and thus continued to take electives to stay in school. Here are three incidents from my student days there.

1. Navy Pier Got It Wrong - In my last year I ran for president of the Student Congress and won. I called an uncle on the faculty of the University of Florida and he congratulated me, and said that I would be a Governor of the State of Illinois in the future, as in Florida the student congress was a steppingstone to politics and the Governorship. It just didn't happen that way, however, I did defeat James Thompson for the position. He later became an excellent Illinois governor.

2. Springfield - I was part of a mission to interview then-Gov. William Stratton to get $25,000 seed money to investigate the possibility of a 4-year campus in Chicago. We got a chilly reception and denial of our request.

3. The 4Year4Now campaign - As part of the campaign; we distributed promotional newspaper all over the city. I and some classmates got to be interviewed on a Saturday teenage dance show, ala Dick Clark style. After the brief school promotion, we were requested to join in the jitterbug contest. My partner and I won, and received a sponsor's candy bar for our efforts.

Martin E. Shaw
Navy Pier Attendee

I remember the two years of commuting via streetcar (1 1/2 hours each way), "L" elevated, subway, streetcar from the Southwest Side near Midway Airport hanging on to a strap. Watched the waves go by out the classroom windows. Lunchroom a library at the far end out into the lake. Gym class in the big circular rotunda. Great math, chemistry and literature teachers. We should have had scooters - it would have saved a lot of shoe leather, or at least exemption from gym to make up for the mile long sprints to classes or the library! It was tough having boyfriends. They rarely lived on my side of town. Listened to tales of indigents who committed suicide by jumping off the end of the Pier and bodies floating by classrooms back to shore. Hmmm.!

Also shifting from chemistry to math. No point in majoring in something you get "C's" in, better to shift to something you can get "A's" in!

Mary Elizabeth Tressel Gray '53 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee

The long walk from one end of the Pier to the other.

The classes thinning out as the semester continued.

Looking for a parking place.

Rain - and the pools of water on the classroom floor.

Black and white copies of Hugh Hefner's "Shaft" magazine available at the entrance to the Pier - free!

The wonderful education provided us in preparation for our going "downstate!"

Harold Lyman '57 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee

In 1951, when I entered UIC - the opportunity given me by "Harvard on the Rocks," wasn't realized. Years later, the concerns and teachings of leaders like Dr. Wayne Thompson bore fruits. The camaraderie of those students who daily rode the subways and street cars to the Pier blossomed into life-long friendships. The time at Navy Pier is cherished and happily not forgotten.

Jerry Rosenwasser '55 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee - 1951

Great friends; business-like atmosphere; football team practices at Grant Park in the sweltering heat, we played for the love of the game, no glory; long walks from one end of Pier to other; bucking wind and cold during winter when walking from bus to school entrance; and coming to school on crutches after breaking my ankle playing football.

Thanks, U of I, Navy Pier, for the memories!

Stuart Brostoff '60 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee

I remember my first spring semester final exam week. I was studying in the library at the east end of campus. There was total silence in the room with everyone studying on the first day of final exams. All of a sudden, there was a blast of deafening gunfire. We only later realized that, by tradition, when the first ship came into port every spring, there was a 12-gun salute!

Sharon Z. Alter '66, AM '68 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee

I only spent one semester at the Pier. I was there in 1964 - September - in the last class at the Pier. I loved it because it was a unique place. Then my class moved to "Circle" campus.

The Pier was a long walk between classes, and the labs really left a unique smell when we worked with smelly "dissections."

Loved the library and books galore to read, and the lake view - always - gym - locker room with "open" cages for clothes always had a certain smell.

Loved "Circle" and our move in.

Bernadette Sigl '68 UIC
Navy Pier Attendee

1. The spider webs on the second floor during summer school.

2. The smell of dissected shark in the labs.

3. The Student Council presidential candidate riding a white horse to campus.

4. Roller skating down that long, long corridor.

5. Biology exam "practicals" - buzz - move to the next microscope!

6. The beautiful lake view from the windows of the cafeteria.

   Marilyn Getzov '65 UIUC
   Navy Pier Attendee

I loved our "Harvard on the Rocks," especially when waves would force a class to be cancelled or moved to a less wet classroom. Studying at Oak Street Beach was also a pleasure for a girl coming in from the suburbs, especially the ride under Wacker Drive in the day when "nobody" knew our special way to school. Physical Ed. At the end of the Pier on the stage was also great fun. The teachers were great and the student body really serious learners.

Erika Marshall
Navy Pier Attendee - 1956

After graduating from the University of Illinois., I was drafted and shipped to Alaska to serve out my tour. While Alaska was frigid, it did not compare with a windy January morning as I approached Navy Pier!!

Two years at the Pier was a solid foundation. It was an excellent and affordable education, making my two years in Champaign much easier!!

I have many favorable memories of my two years at Navy Pier; it was a very worthwhile investment!!

David Amren '54 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee

Spring-1953-54 On the tennis team. Couch Kristufek didn't know a tennis ball from a grapefruit, but oh, could he motivate. Team went undefeated.

Fall-1953 Not a lot to do when hanging around a two-year school for three years. Might as well run for Student Council president. Promised a book exchange. My constituents bought it and I won. The bookstore had the only complete list of required books and wasn't about to give it up. Put pressure on the administration and it in turn forced the bookstore to release the list. Never imagined how much effort was involved, but it worked.

There was a joint faculty-student council committee, dedicated to university projects. Keep in mind, this was 1953-54 and the deans were not about to let a bunch of left-leaning students bring in liberal speakers or join the National Students Association, even if Champaign-Urbana could. While we got some concessions, the dean of students ended up calling us a bunch of Commies. This was when Sen. Robert McCarthy was still about.

Winter-1954 Fixed-up with a 17-year-old high-school student - now my wife of 49 years.

Fall-1954 In law school at Northwestern. End of story.

Donald Cohen
Navy Pier Attendee - 1965

• Attended the Pier for two years.

• Had lots of good times; meeting friends in the lounge, etc.

• Took a combination of buses and trains (over an hour trip, one-way) to get there!

• Could not believe the long walk down the ceiling piped halls, to the gymnasium (daily!)

  Joan Anderson '58 UIUC
  Navy Pier Attendee

One cannot forget the close relationship with many of the instructors or the fascinating view of Lake Shore Drive and the Chicago skyline. Thanks for being there for a kid from the Near North Side, who like many others, had very little in material wealth and a strong desire to make the grade.

Frank Maisch '53 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee

Fighting rain, wind, snow changing from the Addison Bus at Grand Avenue. Developing a life-long fast pace getting to classes at opposite ends of the Pier. Sunbathing on the rocks surrounding the Pier. Kidney bean salad in the cafeteria. Winter classes with the windows open in some rooms. Total education - no sports teams. Having a psychology class (lecture) with Dick Butkus. Attending the popular history lecture (can't remember the professor's name) on the rise of Nazism, I think.

Donna J. Karlen '65 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee

The intense enjoyment some of the instructors had in presenting course materials, especially Dr. Vest in explaining Shakespeare's plays and Mr. Pennis with advanced algebra.

Edward D. Waadt '52 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee

Teaching an elective Shakespeare class became an important part of my career. Spanish with an excellent professor was another excellent class I enjoyed, together with Mrs. Goulson's speech and drama class. I was a member of The Pier Playhouse. Mrs. Goulson directed the plays. Appearing in The Tender Trap was a highlight for me during my Navy Pier days. In addition to memorable teachers, meeting and making lifetime friends reminds me that Navy Pier also holds a very special place in my heart as these are treasured friendships.

Nowadays when my husband and I attend performances at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, I still feel that old thrill of being at Navy Pier. The theatre is beautiful and a wonderful tribute to the city, the joy of learning and the continuation of culture that Navy Pier still inspires in so many of us who love "The Pier." Thank you!

Marolyn G. Bogan '62 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee

I rode the bus every day from the North Side of the city to this unusual waterfront campus. My most vivid memories were kids on roller skates rolling down that long corridor to make it to class faster from one end to the other. Another memory was sitting in class on a stormy day and watching the waves from Lake Michigan crash against the windows. Talk about distracting.

Another fond memory is a biology class I took where we had to dissect a rat. They were stored in large wooden barrels of formaldehyde. I could not bring myself to reach into that dark, murky water to retrieve one, so had a classmate do it for me. I then rode home on the bus with the huge rat safely encased in a clear plastic bag. Needless to say, I got a seat.

The last memory I would like to relate is my first experience of eating French fries with ketchup. I had never seen anyone do that before. Who knows? Maybe this American tradition started at the campus on the lake.

Although my time at Navy Pier was brief, I think of it fondly as the beginnings of my higher education.

Judy Miller O'Malley '58 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee

I admired several members of the faculty. My grades were only fair, but it all ended resultfully.

Twice I ran for school office, one successfully when combining with the engineers/architects.

We had fun competing for attention with posters floating in the harbor and other wild things.

The degree served me well with career expectations exceeding my dreams. I was blessed and lucky.

A wonderful wife (now deceased) and two great children make retirement now both comfortable and fulfilling.

Thanks Navy Pier.

Kip Kelley '51 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee - 1948-50

My older sister was going to Navy Pier after nurses training to complete a BS in nursing during my senior year in high school. Since I had no clear direction for college, she encouraged me to apply at the Pier. I was very surprised to be accepted into the General Engineering program, which eventually led me to a career in consulting engineering. I have many specific memories of my one year at Navy Pier, 1963-64. I transferred to Urbana as a sophomore. The following are unique to the fact that school was at "the Pier."

First: Everyone remembers where they were when they heard that JFK was shot. I was out at the end of the Pier between classes, throwing stones. Someone shouted out a window to inform a friend and me and then we joined the crowd in the TV lounge. Classes were canceled for the rest of the day.

Second: In 1963-64 the central filtration plant was under construction. This gave our engineering class the rare opportunity to have a tour before the flocculation and filtration tanks were completed. I remember actually going down into a tank before it was filled with water. Ironically, my career has taken me into water treatment engineering.

Third: On a sunny afternoon between classes I found my way onto the shipping dock side to see what was going on. There was a Norwegian ship unloading and the sailors were painting the hull, hanging on boatswains' chairs. I tried to communicate with them but soon found that we had a language barrier. So, for fun, I used his white paint to put eyes and a mouth around the projection (looking like a nose) of a nearby bollard. We laughed and in a small way did communicate without words.

Arnold B. Bandstra, Jr. '68, MS '74 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee - 1963-64

My father, Sherman Kell, was hired to teach at Navy Pier in 1946. A retiree from the Chicago schools, he was an instructor in general chemistry and taught until 1949 when compulsory retirement at age 68 ended his career. After my high school graduation in 1948, I joined him in the drive to the Pier. My favorite memories are the long hallway which was always blocked at some point by a permanent crew of painters, the Grand Avenue street cars which turned around in front of the Pier and taking PE classes on the stage of the auditorium or in the Naval Armory, the side of the present Lake Point Towers. I transferred to Urbana in February 1950. In spite of its draftiness, long walks and non-college atmosphere, I left well prepared for higher studies. I keep in touch today with Pier friends, and enjoy hearing about its more famous alumni. The new Navy Pier is certainly beautiful, but I nostalgically remember the old one.

Phyllis Kell Janis Robinson '52 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee

The irony of just spending two years in the Navy Air Corps (WWII) and due to Champaign-Urbana campus being full having to take two years of classes at Navy Pier. They were equal adventures.

Carter LeBeau '50 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee - 1947

Studying between the rows of lockers just west of the cafeteria; enrolling in a boating and fishing class (that meant two students and a canoe off the north side of the Pier); "Harvard on the Rocks," having Dean Pickett (LAS) kick me out. He said, "This is a two year school and after this semester, you'll have 108 hours. Get out!" Devising ways to sneak/con our way into the annual restaurant show held on the south half of the Pier.

Ronald F. Domagala '58, EDD '76 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee

P.S. I am a manufacturer's representative in the St. Louis area. I represent water and sewer accessories for plants, pump stations and water and sewer-line construction.

John H. Sabo '59 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee - 1954

I enrolled in zoology and boating and fishing. Zoology was well taught. Boating and fishing was a lot of fun - especially learning to fly-catch.

I enjoyed Navy Pier, including the long walks down the corridor.

It is wonderful to see the new Pier and the marvelous transition.

J.B. Pinski '55 UIUC; '57, MD '59 UIC
Navy Pier Attendee - 1952

Was pre-med at the time and ultimately changed my focus to hospital administration.

Pre-med fraternity president (Frank Sherr?) was actively involved and very supportive in the quad council.

Robert Nast '52 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee

Running around the exterior track surrounding our remote, arch-roofed gymnasium, a former Navy building, to complete the required mile run for the mandated basic gym course. Then quickly changing clothes to run the 5/8 mile length of the Pier in the open central service concourse to my next period class in the architectural studio at the east end - all in 10 minutes!

Amazed at how the weather always felt much colder at the Pier (winter and summer) than elsewhere in Chicago, since it was surrounded by open water on three sides! And how we'd always tried to sit away from the drafty windows as the wind howled from Lake Michigan. An extra jacket, sweater or set of underwear was needed through the winter - indoors!

Sad to find that my architectural curriculum was extended from four to five years on the very semester I entered the Pier, meaning I'd have three more years in Champaign-Urbana after leaving the camaraderie of the Pier. Now it's six years total!

The predominance of WWII veterans in 1950 under the GI Bill as classmates was immediately noticed. Compared to my high school buddies 18 years of age, my Pier veteran classmates could be 25-35 years old, married and with children. Wow!

In addition to "Harvard on the Rocks," the Pier was often called "That French School-Navie Pierre." Architectural students bonded very close in their remote complex at the end of the Pier and were commonly called "Arkies," among other things.

Warren C. Anderson '55 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee - 1952

1951 - 1952

Architectural students wore zebra print caps so they could always spot a fellow classmate.

"The Ash Can Four" played for fun in the lunch room and some dances at break time. I played amplified tenor uke.

Art instructor was art critic for the Chicago Tribune.

Professors Gutyner and Ray Stermer taught architectural classes.

Became registered architect in 1956.

David E. Johnson '54 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee

Remember the serious students and the competitive atmosphere; very academic and received an excellent education.

Railroad trains rolling down the Pier, ships docking - a unique atmosphere to be sure.

An excellent preparation for Downstate transfer. Good activities (dances, etc.); gymnastics, French club.

A class at 8 a.m., downtown for work at an insurance company and back to the Pier for a 4 p.m. class.

Met lots of nice people, some I keep in touch with to this day.

Thomas D. Spencer '58 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee

Although my time at Navy Pier was short, I have great memories of being a cheerleader and meeting some amazing people. Can anyone forget the crashing waves against the rocks in the peak of winter? And the bitter cold? Or the mile walk to the gymnasium? It was an unforgettable time.

Lucille Linkiewicz Mathewson
Navy Pier Attendee

At 18, I was drafted into the Army from Lane Tech High School; so I couldn't go to college Œtil after the war. My first two years were at Navy Pier, my second two at Illinois Downstate. I was on the gymnastics team on scholarship and the GI Bill. After graduation I toured with the Globetrotters as their half-time trampoline act for 13 months until my mother became ill. I came home and taught at Navy Pier for a couple years - taught P.E.

Gymnastics at the Pier was great fun - we had a great bunch of guys on the team. We won the national championship both of my years there. My father, Dell Bedard, was my coach and he came and worked me out at the Pier. It was close to home.

Teaching at the Pier was interesting - we used to run around the fence around the whole area, do laps outside there as part of the P.E. classes. The lake was always beautiful as a backdrop.

Great memories at the Pier. Has it really been 60 years?! Seems like yesterday that Johnny Zaleski and I painted that town red so many times. Regards to all.

Irv Bedard '52 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee

It was quite a bargain and I was the first in our family to go to college.

The registration process certainly tested our patience - long lines and those famous IBM cards.

Of course being on the lake was pleasant in nice weather - seagulls, boats, and the skyline.

Then there was the incessant pounding of timbers for the water filtration plant.

It was a challenge getting to classes when they were widely separated along the building's great length.

And for fun, we had occasional gym nights and chorus with basic musicals.

Over all, those two years were a liberating adventure for this shy girl and good preparation for the Champaign-Urbana campus.

Mary A. Boscher '58 UIUC
Navy Pier Attendee - 1953-55