Welch Hall in 1897
Welch Hall in 1897
Welch Hall In The Present
Dr. Harris was an important advocate for saving Eastern Michigan University's Welch Hall from demolition and restoring it to its present structure. Here he explains some of his contributions: "I met with student members of Preservation Eastern (1977-8) and told them to stir their stump and start a campaign to save Welch Hall. I gave them a rousing slide-lecture program, and they started the campaign - you may remember the slogan: Don't Squelch Welch, which they invented. The result was the formation of a university committee to study feasibility. Eventually, administrators succeeded in getting a two million dollar grant for restoration, the result of which you see on Cross Street today. Incidentally, I also wrote in 1978 a prophetic letter to the president Brickley about the potential uses and importance of Welch Hall" (q.v. Heritage News, January 1989).