As one of the heads of Veterans Club, I feel a responsibility to speak out against the decision to rename Memorial Hall. In 1923, Memorial Hall was named in honor of the 23 Hotchkiss alumni who passed away in World War I. Over time, it has come to commemorate all Hotchkiss alumni who have died in service to our country—59 in World War II, 4 in Korea, and 6 in Vietnam. The building stands as a physical reminder of the permanent and ultimate sacrifice these 92 alumni made.
I want to preface my remarks by acknowledging that donations are essential for institutions like Hotchkiss to thrive. The facilities and opportunities we benefit from owe much to the generosity of donors. But we must recognize that the prosperity our country enjoys—and the very freedom that allows such generosity—was secured by those who served and sacrificed for it. It is hard to imagine our donors’ successes and abilities to give back without the freedoms protected by the 92 alumni and countless others who gave their lives for our country.
Renaming such an integral part of our history is a line we should not cross. There are other spaces on campus—for example, the new Dining Hall—that could be renamed to recognize the generosity of donors without erasing a monumental piece of Hotchkiss history.
This issue is personal to me. Last year, I conducted a research project on the men for whom Memorial was named. Through their stories, I gained a deeper understanding of and connection to these alumni. One story that has stayed with me is that of Kenneth MacLeish, class of 1914. MacLeish was a naval aviator, a founder of the Yale Aero Club, and U.S. Navy officer who was shot down over Flanders, Belgium in 1918. He left behind a fiancée, a promising future, and a family who would never see him return. Kenneth is one of the 23 World War I alumni commemorated on the plaque in Memorial Hall. His older brother, Archibald MacLeish, class of 1911 and a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, survived the war, and his legacy endures at Hotchkiss through the MacLeish Scholars program.
Each of the names on the plaques in the dorm’s common room represents a person. They were teenagers, students like us, with hopes and dreams for the future. They shared the same Hotchkiss experience we do now. Yet, in service to a cause greater than themselves, they made the ultimate sacrifice so that we might enjoy the freedoms we have today.
By renaming Memorial Hall, the school is disregarding the sacrifice these young men made. I fear that choosing to honor a donor at the expense of our fallen heroes reflects misplaced priorities and raises serious questions about our values as a community. As Mr. D’Ambrosio said earlier this year, “Culture is what we tolerate.” Is this the culture Hotchkiss wishes to shape—one where financial contributions outweigh the memory of those who gave their lives in service?
Just because these alumni died over a century ago does not mean we should forget their sacrifices. We, as a student body, cannot stand by idly as the legacies of 92 fellow Hotchkiss students are diminished.
