Posted by Gerry Wilkinson on July 18, 1998 at 19:50:37:
In Reply to: Thoughts on returning posted by Mike Biel on July 16, 1998 at 13:14:18:
Out of everything bad, usually comes some good. While we lost Thomas Hall, we did gain. First, some of us became closer because of the Thomas Hall situation. Fran Odyniec, Bob Cirillo and I attended and testified at each and every Philadelphia Historical Commission hearing. Jerry Klein, Bob Backman, Harry Wolf and Ed Cunningham came when they were available. The commission didn't give you much lead time. The letter for a Friday meeting would arrive by mail less than 48 hours before the event. I believe that our group was brought closer together. Fran, Bob and I ran up telephone bills of hundreds and dollars, but we weren't trying to save money, we were trying to save a building. We were proud to have done it and would do it again. The Baptist Temple is in terrible shape and I believe that will be our next battle.
Second, the University is trying to cooperate with us at every turn right now. Your e-mails get answers and people try to do what you want (like track down the whereabouts of one Harold Thomas). They gave us the bench from the basement and there have been discussions about a plaque in the new dorm in the area where the basement studios used to be, honoring WRTI.
Tobias Poole has discussed the possibility of one or more of our group being on the advisory board for the new campus wired-wireless FM station, WHIP. There has been talk about the current WRTI giving us a link. While these may be small potatoes, they are a step in the right direction from an university administration that too often turns a deaf ear on the alumni.
I have been on campus at least two dozen times this year, and everytime I have been treated warmly and with the respect due any member of the alumni.
I have even been given special attention and taken into the demolition area (off limits to everyone but demolition workers). Without this, I would have never seen the fancy design under the brass plaques and it probably would have never been recorded as a photograph.
We can be proud of our effort. An effort whose word had spread throughout the campus. While people may not publicly want it on the record that they were against the destruction of such a fine building as Thomas Hall, many did support us. While on campus, people would walk by and one of the people I was talking with would say, This is Gerry Wilkinson, one of the people fighting the University to save Thomas Hall. They would shake my hand and say something like, "A lot of people were rooting for you." I don't even know they knew.
The University is certainly aware that we exist and the fact of our existence alone MAY make them think twice about destroying another historic building.
We didn't win but we sure didn't lose either.