University of Miami
Named Buildings History
Coral Gables Campus
Prepared: Summer 2001
Updated: Spring 2013
Dean Robert Allen Hall
(School of Continuing Studies)
5050 Brunson Drive
[21,780 sq. ft]
History
Dear Robert Allen Hall was dedicated on February 20, 1985 to house the University of Miami’s School
of Continuing Studies. Its cost of $1.1 million was primarily paid for by James L. Knight (through the
James L. Knight Charitable Trust). The program for the dedication ceremony also listed 37 additional
donors.
The 30,000 square foot facility, designed by architects Brown Lopez Brown, contains 19 classrooms, an
Intensive English Laboratory, and a Computer Laboratory. The building has the capability to be linked
electronically to the University’s James L. Knight International Conference Center in downtown Miami,
as well as the Whitten Learning Center on the Coral Gables Campus. It is recognized as one of the
finest facilities for continuing education in the country.
While the continuing studies program was originally established in the founding year of the University,
it wasn’t until the early 1960’s, when Dr. M. Robert Allen became dean and brought new life, new
direction, and increasing enrollments to the program. He transformed the purpose from a “hobbyoriented” program to a program for “lifelong learning.” The School of Continuing Studies was founded
in 1974, with classes held primarily in the Merrick Building, until the construction of Allen Hall in
1985.
Brief Donor Bio
For James L. Knight, see James L, Knight Physics Building.
Dr. M. Robert Allen helped build the University of Miami’s School of Continuing Studies from a
“hobby oriented” part-time program into a comprehensive full-time continuing education program for
lifelong learning that has earned national acclaim. He had a leadership role in the creation of the James
L. Knight Center, and he was responsible for establishing special programs for Latin American,
Caribbean and Middle East studies. He was also instrumental in creating the Koubek Center’s program
for Cuban refugees and Cuban Americans.
He retired in 1984 after 20 years of service to the University as an administrator, professor and dean. He
holds the titles of both Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Education.
Allen, who holds an M.A. from Columbia University and a Ph. D. in education from the University of
Virginia, joined the university in 1964.
Gerald and Josephine Aresty Building
(Graduate Building at the School of Business/McLamore Executive Education Center)
5250 University Drive
[45,000 sq. ft.]
History
The Gerald and Josephine Aresty Building, which houses the Graduate School of Business and the
McLamore Executive Education Center, sits directly above the Storer Auditorium. The building is
bordered by the Stubblefield Classroom and the Jenkins Center Building, both of which also provide the
space for School of Business activities.
In August of 2003, Dr. Jeffrey Aresty pledged $2.5 million to the School of Business in honor of his
father, the late Gerald Aresty, an alumnus who had made an earlier gift of $1 million to create the
Gerald and Josephine Aresty Endowed Scholarship Fund at the School of Business Administration. In
recognition of these gifts, the building was renamed and dedicated in memory of Dr. Aresty’s parents.
Brief Donor Bio
Gerald J. Aresty, a 1950 graduate of the University of Miami, went on to become Vice President of the
family-owned and operated Alfred Dunner, Inc., a Parsippany, NJ-based manufacturer of moderately
priced ladies coordinated sportswear in the United States and Canada.
He and his wife, Josephine Aresty, supported the School of Business for many years and were inducted
into both the President’s Circle and the Merrick Society. Their son, Dr. Jeffrey Aresty, and their
daughter-in-law, Dr. Patricia Pickton Aresty, are both UM alumni and have also supported the School
of Business as well as the Biology Department.
The Gerald and Josephine Aresty Endowed Scholarship Fund, created by Gerald Aresty with a $1
million gift, recruits top business undergraduates of high academic merit and was established in
perpetuity.
Ashe Memorial Administration Building
(Ashe Administration Building)
1252 Memorial Drive
[75,862 sq. ft.]
History
The construction of the Ashe Memorial Administration Building was a visible sign of the growing
maturity of the University and ushered in a new era of planned growth after the “leaping, bounding,
wildly growing era” of post-World War II. It was one of the first buildings initiated by the then new
President Jay F. W. Person, who was lauded by The Miami Herald as the first UM President to develop
a comprehensive master plan.
Groundbreaking was held on October 16, 1953, and VIP participants included J. N. McArthur, Sam
Blank, Ray M. Earnest, Daniel J. Mahoney, Jay F. W. Pearson, Dave Hendrick Jr., and Baron de Hirsch
Meyer.
Brief Donor Bio
The first President of the University of Miami, Bowman Foster Ashe appointed by the Board of
Regents on November 3, 1925. Known as “the architect and builder of the University of Miami in all its
aspects,” he held his office for 26 years, until his death in 1952. He also served as a Trustee from 19281952.
With a background in business and education, Ashe was a pragmatic leader who brought to the new
University a clear vision, forward-thinking educational concepts, and international scope. He also
believed that education was not just for the elite, and worked to open the University to students of all
intellectual and economic backgrounds.
He single handedly rescued the University from bankruptcy, which it had been forced to declare in 1932
due to the combined effects of the 1926 hurricane and the Depression. He formed a new non-profit
corporation – The University of Miami, Inc. – and raised nearly $25,000. Two years later, when the
University’s assets came up for auction, he paid $15,758.84 to buy it back.
Born in Pennsylvania in 1885 and named for two Protestant bishops, Ashe attended two years of college,
worked for a California-based construction firm, and taught in a one-room schoolhouse. He later
completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh, as well as an LL.D. degree in 1927. He
was an unconventional choice for a college president, who believed that “the search for truth is unafraid
of where it may lead”.
James S. Billings Memorial Walkway
(Billings Memorial Walkway)
Perimeter of Lake Osceola
History
James S. Billings was a University of Miami alumnus, and a trustee from 1968 until his untimely and
sudden death in 1982. To create a memorial in his honor, his family and friends raised more than
$100,000 to build the James S. Billings Memorial Walkway – a brick-lined path surrounding the
perimeter of Lake Osceola. The Walkway was completed and dedicated in 1984.
A pedestal, placed near the Rathskeller (Charles H. Gautier Hall), reads: “This walkway is dedicated to
the memory of James S. Billings, community leader, trustee and benefactor of the University of Miami,
1984”.
Brief Bio
James S. Billings was a University of Miami alumnus and a member of the Board of Trustees from
1968 until his sudden and untimely death by a heart attack in 1982. He was a generous contributor to
the University as well as a leader.
Casa Bacardi
(ICCAS – Institute for Cuban & Cuban-American Studies)
1531 Brescia Avenue
[4,313 sq. ft.]
History
Casa Bacardi, a cultural center highlighting Cuban history and culture, is located at the University’s
Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) at 1531 Brescia Avenue. The center was
funded by a $1 million grand from the Bacardi Family Foundation and houses a 3,000 square foot
exhibition hall for art and other displays, a small cinema, a conference center and an interactive music
pavilion. The center also contains the Cuba Information Center, which includes computer terminals
with access to an ICCAS project-Cuba On-Line, a comprehensive database of Cuban history and
information available online.
Brief Donor Bio
Originally founded in Cuba by Don Facundo Bacardi in 1862, the Bacardi Corporation is now located in
San Juan, Puerto Rico, and produces its world-famous rum there. Bacardi is the world’s largest
privately held family owned spirits company.
The Bacardi family has a long history of supporting Cuban culture. Emilio Bacardi, eldest son of Don
Facundo Bacardi, built the Emilio Bacardi Museum in Cuba’s Santiago province in the late 19th century,
and later donated it to the city.
The Bacardi family has made gifts to the University in support of Cuban History and Culture Studies,
The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, the College of Engineering, the School of Music, the Athletics
Department, the Diabetes Research Institute, the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Lowe
Art Museum.
The Bacardi family’s most significant gift, apart from funding Casa Bacardi, is the Emilio Bacardi
Moreau Chair in Cuban Studies at the School of International Studies, which was inaugurated in 1986.
The gift was made by Amalia Bacardi in memory of her father, to promote the study of Cuban history
and foster a better understanding of Cuban culture. The Bacardi Chair is offered to noted scholars for
one academic year.
Patrick J. and Bunty Cesarano Plaza & Fountain
(Cesarano Plaza)
School of Business Complex
History
The University’s Board of Trustees passed a resolution on May 18, 1999 to name the courtyard in the
center of the School of Business Complex on the Coral Gables Campus the “Patrick J. Cesarano Plaza”.
The “Bunty Cesarano Fountain”, adjacent to the Plaza, was constructed and dedicated in 2000 in honor
of Cesarano’s wife.
Brief Donor Bios
Patrick J. Cesarano (BBA 1935) was a UM alumnus who was Vice President of his class and later an
Alumni Trustee for four years. He became a member of the Board of Trustees from 1969-1980, serving
as Chairman from 1978-80.
He was also a former executive with Ryder System. He died in 1996 at the age of 84. President Edward
T. Foote once said of him, “He was a kind man whose strength as a leader was matched by compassion
for others”.
Originally from Batavia, New York, Cesarano’s first job was collecting subscriptions for the Saturday
Evening Post and Liberty Magazine. After World War II, he started Southern Underwriters in Miami,
which grew to become one of the largest general insurance agencies in the southeastern U.S. He sold
the company in 1972 and became president of Ryder’s insurance division. He retired in 1983.
Cesarano’s widow, Beryl (“Bunty”), committed a gift of her home (appraised value $750,000) and a
$150,000 gift annuity to the University. In recognition of these gifts, (as well as the Patrick J. Cesarano
Neurovascular Laboratory on the Medical Campus and a classroom in the McLamore Executive
Education Center as the Patrick J. Cesarano Classroom), the Board of Trustees dedicated the Patrick J.
Cesarano Plaza.
Victor E. Clarke Recital Hall
(Clarke Recital Hall)
School of Music Complex
History
In 1994, the Victor E. Clarke Recital Hall in the L. Austin Weeks Center for Recording and Performance
in the School of Music was dedicated.
In 1981, Charlotte Clark, established a charitable remainder trust designated to construct a physics
building to be named in honor of her husband, Victor E. Clarke. The trust was created with stock in
Gables Engineering, Inc., of which Victor had been the Chairman and CEO. However, in 1987, Gables
Engineering bought back the stock, terminating the trust. A total of $1.4 million in proceeds from the
sale was transferred to the University of Miami, of which $1 million was used to establish the Victor P.
Clarke Endowed Chair in Computer Engineering, and the remainder of the gift helped create the Victor
E. Clarke Recital Hall.
Brief Bios
Victor E. Clarke was born on March 13, 1932 in Miami, Florida, and was the son of Victor P. Clarke.
He served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force during World War II, and graduated from Cornell
University in 1956. He joined Gables Engineering Inc., in 1957 and later became its chairman, CEO
and principal owner. The company manufactures and exports avionics systems.
Clarke was appointed to the University of Miami Board of Trustees in 1982 and continues to serve as a
Trustee Emeritus. He has also served as chair of the College of Engineering Visiting Committee.
The Clarke Family’s total commitment (including the Foundation gifts) comes to nearly $3 million.
Cobb Fountain
Lake Osceola
History
The Cobb Foundation in Lake Osceola was dedicated in January 1990, and named for former UM
Chairman of the Board of Trustees Charles Cobb. The Cobb Family donated $150,000 for the fountain,
which improves the water quality while also beautifying the campus.
Brief Donor Bios
(See Cobb Stadium)
Cobb Stadium for Soccer, Track & Field
(Cobb Stadium)
5800 Hurricane Drive
History
A gift of $1 million from Ambassador and Mrs. Charles E. Cobb and the Cobb Family was the
leadership gift of a major fundraising campaign to renovate the University’s aging track into a new stateof-the-art track and field facility, build a new soccer field, and construct a 500-seat stadium, located
adjacent to the Hecht Athletic Center.
Groundbreaking was held on April 21, 1998, and the new $2.25 million Cobb Stadium and fields were
dedicated on April 29, 1999. The building was named for Ambassador and Mrs. Cobb.
Brief Donor Bios
The Honorable Charles Elvan “Chuck” Cobb, Jr. was the former U.S. Ambassador to Iceland,
appointed by President George Bush, from 1989-92. He was also the former CEO of Pan-Am World
Airways, and the former CEO of Disney Development and Arvida – a real-estate development firm –
from 1972-80. During the mid to late 1980’s, he served as the Assistant Secretary of U.S. Commerce
and the Under Secretary of U.S. Commerce for Travel and Tourism.
Ambassador Cobb has been a University of Miami Trustee since 1975. He served as vice-chairman
from 1980-92, chairman from 1992-94, and was elected a Life Member in 1995.
He is a graduate of Stanford University (BA 1958, MBA 1962), and was the captain of the Stanford
University track team. He was also a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Team as a high hurdler, and a
four-year veteran of the U.S. Navy.
Cobb is married to Sue McCourt Cobb, also a Stanford graduate and a native of Los Angeles,
California. She later earned her J.D. degree at the University of Miami School of Law, and became a
partner in Greenberg, Traurig, Hoffman, Lipoff, Rosen & Quentel for more than 20 years. She is also
the former Chairperson of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta – Miami Branch.
Sue Cobb is also an avid sportswoman, who chronicled her 1988 attempt to be the first American
woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest with a book entitled The Edge of Everest.
Bill Cosford Cinema
1111 Memorial Drive
History
The Bill Cosford Cinema was originally known as the Beaumont Lecture Hall. In 1947, Louis D.
Beaumont, a prominent St. Louis merchant and Palm Beach retiree, had bequeathed $50,000 for the
construction of the hall, attached to the Memorial Classroom Building, in memory of his son, Dudley.
By the early 1950s, in addition to hosting large classes, the hall was the site for movie screenings, and
became renamed the Beaumont Cinema.
In 1995, the 232-seat cinema underwent a massive renovation to repair the seats, improve the sound
system and update the projection screen and equipment. It was then renamed again, in honor of Bill
Cosford, a renowned movie critic for The Miami Herald and a beloved adjunct professor in the School
of Communication’s film program. He had passed away unexpectedly a year earlier at the young age of
47. The renovation was financed by a combination of School funds, a $25,000 grant from $100 each
through a buy-a-seat campaign.
Brief Donor Bios
Louis D. Beaumont was a prominent St. Louis merchant and Palm Beach retiree. He was the founder
of May Department Stores.
Bill Cosford was a renowned movie critic for The Miami Herald and a beloved adjunct professor in the
School of Communication’s film program during the 1980s. Before his death, he was involved in the
fundraising for hoped-for renovations to the Beaumont Cinema.
Cox Science Building. James M. Jr.
(Cox Science Center
1301 Memorial Drive
[190,944 sq. ft.]
History
The James M. Cox, Jr. Science Building was constructed in 1967 during the booming growth years of Henry King
Stanford’s presidency. Science classes had previously been held in the “temporary” quarters of the original
Anastasia Building in Coral Gables, which had been in use since 1926. The completion of the Cox Building made
the final abandonment of the Anastasia building possible.
Between December 1962 and January 1964, Cox gave the University $743,750 worth of Biscayne Television
Corporation stock to put toward the Science Education Fund. His contributions were recognized by the
University in 1970 when the James M. Cox Jr. Science Building was dedicated in his honor.
In 1969, Cox made an additional oral pledge of a $1 million bequest, however, after his death in 1974, the bequest
was only partially fulfilled, as $332,195.61 became tied up in litigation with the IRS, bringing his total giving to
the University to $1.4 million.
Brief Donor Bio
James M. Cox, Jr. was the son of former Ohio Governor James M. Cox, who was one of the original signers of
the University of Miami’s incorporation document. Cox Sr. was also a founding member of the University’s first
Board of Regents.
Born on a farm, James M. Cox, Sr. worked in a printer’s office and as a school teacher before becoming a
reporter, then an editor. He served three terms as Governor of Ohio (1913-21) and was the Democratic nominee
for President in 1920. His running mate was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Cox’s family maintained a second
home in Miami, where he bought the Miami Metropolis – the predecessor of the Miami News, and the precursor
of the Cox publishing empire. His total commitment to the University was $15,000 between 1925 and 1945. In
1949, one of the former student apartment buildings was named for him. This building no longer exists. He
served on the Board of Trustees from 1925-29.
James M. Cox, Jr, earned a Ph.D. from Yale University and began his career working as General Manager then
Assistant Publisher of the Dayton Daily News. During World War II he served as a Lt. Commander in the Naval
Air Corp. He took over the Cox publishing group in 1957 after his father’s death. He expanded the group by
adding more newspapers as well as television stations and cable systems. In 1964, Cox Broadcasting Corporation
was formed, and in 1968, was expanded again to become Cox Enterprises, a publicly traded stock on the NYSE.
In 1972, he broke a longstanding newspaper tradition by becoming the first paper to publicly endorse a candidate
for president (Richard M. Nixon).
Cox Jr. was a member of the University’s Board of Trustees from 1964-74. He became Trustee Emeritus shortly
before his death in 1974.
Dr. Maxwell and Reva B Dauer Clock Tower
(Dauer Clock Tower)
Otto G. Richter Library Complex – 1300 Memorial Drive
History
The Richter Library unveiled its new Dr. Maxwell and Reva B. Dauer Clock Tower during the summer of 2000.
It is the first phase of a $16 million library renovation project (scheduled for completion in 2002) that will
renovate and retrofit the three-story wing of the building for new technology and library services.
The Tower includes an air-conditioned main interior stairway with views of the University Green through multishaded hurricane-proof glass. The square-shaped illuminated clock at the top of the tower is its most
distinguishing feature.
The Tower was named in honor of the late Maxwell Dauer, a professor of radiology and director of Radiological
Physics at the University’s Medical Campus for 15 years, and a former member of the Board of Trustees.
Construction of the Tower was made possible by a leading gift of $1.5 million from a prominent South Florida
philanthropist, the late Reva Dauer (Maxwell’s wife), and their sons, Edward and Roger Dauer.
Brief Donor Bios
Maxwell Dauer was a professor of radiology and director Radiological Physics at the University’s Medical
Campus for 15 years. He is also a former member of the Board of Trustees, from 1979-1982. He bought the land
for the Florida Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale with money borrowed from his in-laws, and became its first
chairman of the board when the hospital was completed in 1973. He earned A.B. and Sc.M. degrees from New
York University in Pharmacology from the University of Chicago in 1951.
Reva B. Dauer was a longtime South Florida resident and generous philanthropist to a variety of community
organizations. Among other things, Dr. and Mrs. Dauer were on the board of directors of the Papanicolaou
Research Foundation from 1975-87. They supported diverse areas of the University of Miami, from music to
athletics. (See Ryder Convocation Center)
Edward A. Dauer, M.D. (B.S.E.E. ’72 and M.D. 75), is a UM alumnus and University of Miami Trustee. He is
also chairman of the Florida Board of Medicine and president of Florida Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale.
Roger A. Dauer (B.B.A. 1966, M.Ed. 1972) is an alumnus of the University of Miami who founded Florida
Medical Center, Inc. in 1973. This 459-bed hospital included top-notch specialty services, such as cardiology,
joint replacement, and nuclear medicine, and was ranked among South Florida’s profit hospitals 1991.
Oscar E. Dooly Memorial Classroom Building
(Memorial Building)
1111 Memorial Drive
[77,311 sq. ft.]
History
Begun in 1946 and completed in 1947, this was the first new building to be constructed on the Coral Gables
Campus, even prior to the resurrection of the Merrick Building. It was constructed with monies raised by the
newly founded Citizens Board. Robert Law Weed and Marion I. Manley were the architects, and the University
organized its own construction staff.
The 680-foot-long building originally had a two-story north wing, and a three story south wing, with a total of 58
classrooms. Between the two wings stood the Beaumont Lecture Hall, with a small stage and seating for 290.
The building was originally named the Memorial Classroom Building because each classroom in the building was
planned to be dedicated to various University benefactors, and several of these rooms include the donor’s portrait.
The building was later renamed and dedicated in honor of Oscar E. Dooly, to become the Oscar E. Dooly
Memorial Classroom Building.
Brief Bio
Oscar E. Dooly was a University of Miami Trustee from 1944-1970, and one of the first trustees to support and
recommend the George Merrick land in Coral Gables as the permanent new home for the University of Miami.
For more information on Beaumont Lecture Hall, see Bill Cosford Cinema.
Dynamis Cablevision Studio
(Cablevision Studio)
5100 Brunson Drive
[3,289 sq. ft.]
History
Built in the spring of 1984 as a state-of-the-art television production facility for the new School of
Communication, thanks to a $500,000 grant from Dynamic Cablevision.
Studio C allows students to operate a 24-hour local cable channel. It was originally known as Channel 51 of U.M.
Cable, established through an agreement between the University and Dynamic, however it was renamed UMTV
in the early 1990s, and is now positioned as Channel 24 on the University cable line-up and as Channel 96 on the
cable system in Coral Gables.
Studio B was renovated in 1994 and renamed the Robert Corley Groves Broadcast Journalism Studio, in memory
of a well-loved student and alumnus who was killed in December, 1988.
Brief Donor Bio
Dynamic Cablevision was a small cable system operating in Coral Gables during the early era of cable television
(1980s). It was brought up by Media One, and then AT&T, and no longer exists.
Eaton Hall
(Eaton Residential College)
1211 Dickinson Drive
[105,796 sq. ft.]
History
Eaton Hall opened in 1954 as a residence hall for women when the Santander Dormitory in Coral Gables was
finally abandoned and all residential students moved to facilities on campus.
It was dedicated in the name of Julian S. Eaton, one of the most active and supportive University of Miami
trustees of his time.
Eaton Hall was rededicated as Eaton Residential College in the mid-1980s.
(See Hecht Residential College)
Brief Donor Bio
A member of the Board of Trustees from 1942 until his death in 1951, Julian S. Eaton also served as Chairman
of the Board from 1945 to 1951. In 1944, he was a member of the committee appointed by the Board of Trustees
to select a permanent location for the Coral Gables Campus. The committee had responsibility to choose the
location, acquire the land, and employ architects to plan the campus.
Born in Piermont, New York, Eaton earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture at the Massachusetts Agricultural
College, and later studied law at New York University. He came to Florida in 1925 to help found the law firm of
Eaton, Hyser, and Brigham. He prepared for the Florida Bar exam at the University of Miami School of Law, and
was a member of the first graduating class. He later moved into the field of banking, and was a founding member
and president of Coconut Grove Exchange Bank from 1931 until his death.
Through his bank and his influence, the University was able to acquire the short-term loans critical to providing
an adequate cash flow during the University’s early expansion. An early supporter of the School of Medicine, he
bequeathed 380 acres of land to help establish the Medical Campus, as well as many other properties that netted
the University more than half-million dollars.
Reba Engler-Daner Wing of the School of Law Library
(Law Library)
1311 Miller Drive
[55,000 sq. ft.]
History
In 1988, Miami attorney Reba Engler Daner committed $2 million to build a new addition to the School of Law’s
library. The library (as of 1996) was the third largest in the southeast, with nearly a half-million volumes, and is
one of the nation’s leading legal research libraries.
The new wing was dedicated in the spring of 1996. U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno delivered a message of
congratulations via a specially produced video.
Brief Donor Bio
Reba Engler Daner is a UM alumna and member of the first full-time class to graduate, with a degree in political
science earned in 1930. In 1936, she was the only woman to graduate from the UM School of Law.
Daner was very active in supporting library associations nationwide, and helped persuade Congress to pass laws
to increase federal funding to libraries.
In the late ‘60s, she donated funds to build the law school’s Moot Courtroom.
Miguel B. Fernandez Family Entrepreneurship Building
(School of Business – Address not yet available)
History
Thanks to the donation of $10 million received from Miguel (Mike) Fernandez, a new building at the School of
Business is being constructed. The Miguel B. Fernandez Family Entrepreneurship Building will be the result of
the largest gift ever made to the School of Business (October, 2004).
The new architecture, designed by internationally acclaimed and award winning architect Michael Graves, will
consist of an entrepreneurship center, an information resource center, undergraduate placement center, academic
pavilions, and student residences.
Brief Donor Bio
Fernandez is a self-made entrepreneur. He is Chairman and CEO of CarePlus Health Plans Holdings, a Tampabased holding company with seven health-care subsidiaries. CPHP Holdings operates CarePlus Health Plans
HMO, a Coral Gables-based managed care company which offers comprehensive Medicare and HMO plans to
residents of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties; CAC-CarePlus Medical Centers; Health Atlantic Corporation;
Atlantic Dental; and CarePlus Transportation. He serves on the Board of Governors at the UM/Sylvester
Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Antonio Ferré Building
(Graduate School)
1000 Memorial Drive
[10,748 sq. ft.]
History
In 1958, Jose Antonio Ferré, a senior partner in Maule Industries, and his brothers, Luis A. Ferré, Carlos F. Ferré,
and Herman Ferré, donated $200,000 to construct a building to house the Graduate School. They chose to name
the building in honor of their father, Antonio Ferré. Groundbreaking was held on May 3, 1958, with the formal
dedication held on November 19, 1958. Present on the podium were Dean J. Riis Owre, Vice President C. Doren
Tharp, Jose Ferré, and Charlton W. Tebeau.
The Graduate School had come into being only a year earlier, when, on August 6, 1957, the Board of Trustees
approved it, “when physical and intellectual resources were adequate.” President Pearson appointed the first
Graduate Faculty on December 31, 1957. Following the construction of the building, the first 10 doctoral
programs were begun in the fall of 1959. J. Riis Owre was named the first Dean.
The building’s first and second floors initially consisted of faculty offices. The third floor held carrels and a
graduate student lounge. When carrels became available in the Richter Library, the students moved into them,
and the third floor space was transformed into a large committee room and additional faculty offices.
Brief Donor Bio
Jose Antonio Ferré (MBA 1955) was the father of former Miami Mayor Maurice Antonio
Ferré – the city’s first Hispanic mayor. Jose, originally from Puerto Rico, amassed a fortune through his firm,
Maule Industries, which dealt in cement, steel, glass, paper and ceramics. The company was valued at $400-$600
million in the early 1970s, but went bankrupt by 1976 and was sold in 1978. Antonio Ferré then retired to Puerto
Rico, where he died in 1990 at the age of 88. He was an alumnus of the University as well as a Trustee, from
1958 – 1971. He was elected Trustee Emeritus in 1971.
Maurice Ferré was the first Hispanic Mayor of Miami, serving from 1973 to 1985. He formerly was president of
the company founded by his father, Maule Industries. He served in the Florida House of Representatives in 1966,
and was City of Miami Commissioner from 1967-70. In 1976 he was the National Hispanic Co-Chair of the
Carter/Mondale Campaign, and was appointed to the President’s Advisory Committee on Refugees in 1975.
Maurice was both an alumnus (B.S. Arch, 1957) and a Trustee (1967-1982) of the University. Five of his six
children attended the University of Miami, however only Jose Luis graduated (in 1981). Maurice’s daughter-inlaw (through Jose Luis) is Helen Aguirre, the daughter of Diario Las Americas founder Horacio Aguirre. As of
1992, Maurice’s recognition amount was $5,890.00.
Fred C. & Helen D. Flipse Building
(Psychology Building)
5665 Ponce de Leon Boulevard
[40,000 sq. ft.]
History
The Flipse Building was completed in 2003, and is a state-of-the-art, multi-million dollar facility which adds to
the existing 10,000 square-foot Psychology Annex. The building features laboratories with digital video
observation suites and a central lobby funded by alumni and friends of the department designed to foster studentfaculty interactions. Designed and built by The Haskell Company, the building is located on the Coral Gables
Campus, near the University Metrorail Station and attached to the Ponce de Leon parking facility.
Due in part to its tremendous growth in recent years, the Department of Psychology has been housed in the
multiple buildings on and off the University campus, at one point spread out in nine separate locations. With the
opening of the Flipse Building, all faculty offices are finally located under one roof, together with sufficient
classroom space to hold most of its undergraduate and graduate classes. It also houses the Department’s
community mental health training clinic as well as its close partner, the Center for Autism and Related
Disabilities.
In 1991, Mr. and Mrs. Flipse created a Charitable Remainder Unitrust naming the University as a remainder
beneficiary of a portion of the value of the Trust, currently valued at nearly $4 million. In recognition of this gift
and over $210,000 of additional giving, the University named the Flipse Building to honor the family’s generous
contributions to UM in support of the Psychology Department and the Counseling Center.
Brief Donor Bio
Fred C. Flipse came from an old Dade family. His father, Louis F. Flipse, arrived in Miami in 1909; he was a
schoolteacher escaping the Wisconsin cold. He was credited with starting one of the first commercial avocado
and mango groves in South Dade. He also helped build what became Coral Reef Drive, a major roadway in what
is now suburban Dade. Their land was later developed into what became major landmarks, such as King’s Bay
Yacht Club – now redeveloped as Deering Bay – and a Florida Power & Light plant.
Mr. Flipse attended Perrine District School and later Ponce de Leon High in Coral Gables. He graduated in 1934
from the University of Florida and became a junior executive at General Motors Acceptance Corporation.
Helen Donn Flipse is the daughter of James “Jimmy” Donn, who worked as a greenhouse apprentice in Lanark,
Scotland. Donn immigrated to America, settled in Miami, and opened a small nursery on Flagler Street in 1914
called Exotic Gardens, which he later expanded into a florist chain. Donn soon became known as “Miami’s
Flower King.” In 1944, Donn thought he had too many flowers stored in his shop and decided to purchase
Hallandale’s Gulfstream Park racetrack to display them.
After serving in World War II as an Army officer in the Pacific and marrying Helen Donn, Fred Flipse went to
work at Exotic Gardens. He started with floral arranging and gradually worked himself into the business side of
the company. In 15 years, he helped triple the business. By 1965, Exotic Gardens had six locations and 40,000
regular customers. Fred was also busy helping to manage the Gulfstream racetrack as secretary, treasurer and a
board director. In March 1990, the track and Exotic Gardens were sold to Bertram Firestone, owner of Calder
Race Course, for $95 million.
For decades, Mr. and Mrs. Flipse combined their work with efforts to improve the community, whether it was
chamber of commerce volunteer work or helping the American Red Cross. Fred helped lead the YMCA, the
Lighthouse for the Blind, the Miami Heart Research Institute and other civic groups. Helen, who worked for
many years to help build Exotic Gardens into the premier florist business in Dade County, was also a member of
the Dade Women’s Guild.
Mr. and Mrs. Flipse were involved with the University of Miami from the 1960s to the 1990s. The Flipse family
funds the Dr. Jess Spirer Pre-Doctoral Internship Program, which honors the outstanding professional
contributions of Jess Spirer, the founder and first Director of the University of Miami Counseling Center. They
have also provided for the Fred and Helen Flipse Award for extraordinary contributions to internship training.
Mr. and Mrs. Flipse were inducted into the Merrick Society in 1992.
Four Fillies Farm
(The Frank Smathers Estate)
11511 SW 57th Avenue/Old Cutler Road
[10,500 sq. ft.]
History
In his will, Frank Smathers, Jr. made a generous bequest to the University of Miami, consisting of his magnificent
32-acre estate on Old Cutler Road, along with a $5 million endowment fund for perpetual maintenance, and an
additional $2 million endowment for the study of tropical science and the continuation of his work in the study
and development of mangos. He announced the gift at a University black-tie gala in 1989 at the Omni
International Hotel in Miami.
Smathers became a member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees in 1953, and continued to serve in that
post for more than 40 years. He passed away in 1998, and his gift became the second largest in the University of
Miami’s history.
The estate was named by Smathers for his four daughters, Lila Ann, Lowry, Lura, and Pamela (i.e. the “four
fillies”). It’s estimated worth in 1998 was more than $20 million. His will also stipulates that the University
never sell nor subdivide the estate. Fairchild’s chairman of the board, Bruce Greer, called the farms mango grove
“the single most important mango collection in the entire world.”
Brief Donor Bio
Frank Smathers, Jr. was a self-made millionaire, banker, world-class golfer and world-renowned mango
grower. His obituary in the The Miami Herald in 1998 declared that “his life and career touched virtually every
aspect of greater Miami.”
Smathers arrived in Miami in 1919, and he was immediately bitten by the “mango bug,” as he called it, because
his family’s house in North Miami was situated in the midst of a mango grove. He attended the Culver Military
Academy in Indiana, and then the University of North Carolina. He returned to Miami to enroll in the UM School
of Law. After graduating in 1934, he became a State Attorney for Dade County. He later switched fields to
banking, and was renowned for creating new banks under the corporate umbrella of Flagship Banks. When he
sold Flagship to Sun Trust in 1983, he earned millions.
Smathers was a renowned gofer and a member of the fabled St. Andrews golf course in Scotland.
He was also a renowned horticulturalist, responsible for preserving many of South Florida’s tropical flora, and a
great supporter of Fairchild Tropical Garden, where he endowed a tropical fruit program in 1987. He began
working nights and weekends in his family’s first mango grove in North Miami, but by the early 1960s, when the
crop was ready to be harvested, most of it was stolen by his neighbors, so he moved to 40 acres in South Miami
Dade where he planted 3,000 trees with the help of a janitor from his bank.
There, his crop grew to an astounding five million mangoes, and he sold the grove a few years later for $35,000
an acre. In 1967, he and his wife purchased the site of their future 32-acre Four Fillies Farm near the intersection
of Old Cutler Road and Red Road.
Smather’s father, Frank Smathers Sr., was U.S. President Woodrow Wilson’s campaign manager and a federal
judge. His younger brother, George, was a U.S. Senator. –See George A. Smathers Student Wellness Center
Smathers’ Wife was Mary Belle Wall, whose father was F. Lowry Wall, the president of Miami Beach First
National Bank during the early 1900-1032. Smathers’ career in banking began at that bank, where he rose
through the ranks to eventually start his own string of financial institutions under the corporate umbrella of
Flagship Banks.
Bertha Foster Memorial Music Practice Hall
(Foster Music Practice Hall)
5501 San Amaro Drive
[22,761 sq. ft.]
History
Built in 1961, this was one of the original 12 buildings of the School of Music complex. In 1970, following
renovations and a second floor addition, the Bertha Foster Memorial Music Building was dedicated in memory of
Bertha M. Foster, the first dean ever named at the University of Miami and the first Dean of the School of Music
– the University’s first school.
Until the Foster Building was constructed, the School of Music had had no permanent location, moving between
the old Anastasia Building in Coral Gables, the Koubek Center in Little Havana, the Granada Workshop, a
commercial building on Palermo Street near Ponce de Leon Circle (as a rehearsal hall for the orchestra), as well as
the “temporary” wooden buildings affectionately known as the “shacks.” These hastily created structures were
used during World War II to handle the training of service personnel and later converted to classroom use.
Brief Donor Bio
Miss Bertha M. Foster was the owner and operator of the Miami Conservatory of Music prior to the founding of
the University of Miami. Her widely respected conservatory was incorporated into the University, and Foster was
named the first dean of the School of Music in 1929 (and the first dean to be appointed overall). She was also a
founding regent of the University of Miami, and was a leading member of the committee responsible for selecting
the University’s official colors: orange, green and white. She also served on the Board of Trustees from 1925 –
41.
An accomplished organist, Bertha M. Foster studied at the Cincinnati College of Music, where she had received
the Springer Medal for excellence in music. She went on to study under renowned organist and composer
Wolstenholme in London, and taught music at the Lucy Cobb Institute in Athens, Georgia, as well as at Florida
State College for Women in Tallahassee. During World War I, she traveled throughout France to play the organ
for soldiers in Army camps. She also was vice president of the (then) newly-organized Greater Miami Symphony
Orchestra Society, and helped found the University of Miami Symphony Orchestra. She retired in 1944.
Ron Fraser Baseball Building
(Baseball Offices)
6201 San Amaro Drive
[5,237 sq. ft.]
History
Built in 1986, the Ron Fraser Baseball Building was one of the first “brick and mortar” fundraising projects of the
Hurricane Club, which was established in 1971 as the primary fundraising arm of the athletic department.
Originally known as the Athletic Federation, it was founded by Walter Kichefski (then Athletic Director), Evelyn
Schwarz (then assistant Athletic Director), and University of Miami alumni volunteers Walter Etling, John Gale,
Eddie Dunn and Jerry Wright.
The Hurricane Club coordinated the donations of supplies and services to construct the building, but more money
was needed. Hurricane Baseball Coach Ron Fraser held a $5,000 a plate dinner on the new Mark light Field for
nearly 40 people, and raised approximately $200,000. He also helped raise additional monies that were crucial
not only to the construction of the building, but also the much-anticipated expansion of the baseball program
overall.
In 1977, the Hurricane Club dedicated the building in honor of Ron Fraser, both for his amazing achievements in
baseball as well as his extraordinary leadership at the University.
Brief Donor Bio
Known as “The Wizard of College Baseball,” Ron Fraser joined the University of Miami as Coach of the
Hurricane Baseball Team in 1963. Baseball great Tommy Lasorda (former manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers)
called Fraser one of the finest college baseball coaches this country has ever seen. By the time he retired in 1992,
he was the second All-Time Coach in NCAA history, he had been inducted into seven different regional and
national Halls of Fame, had been named NCAA Coach of the Year three times, was named Coach of the Year for
UM 24 times, had sent 139 UM players to professional teams and 14 to the Major Leagues, and had a College
World Series record of 24-19. He led Miami to their first bid for the national championship in 1974, where the
team placed second to the University of Southern California. However, in 1985, he led the team to the National
Title.
In addition to his University of Miami activities, Fraser was chosen as the USA Olympic Baseball Coach in 1992
– the first time ever that baseball was a medal sport in the Olympics, and formerly was the USA Pan American
Coach, bringing that team a silver medal victory.
Fraser’s community spirit was as strong as his athletic commitment. He was a great fundraiser for the University
of Miami, and served as chair of the Cornerstone Campaign.
He was also named an Outstanding Citizen by the City of Coral Gables for his dedication to organizations such as
Easter Seals, Make A Wish Foundation and the Leukemia Society.
Ron Fraser Way
(Ron Fraser Way)
5700 Ponce de Leon Boulevard
History
On May 26, 1992, the City of Coral Gables issued a proclamation dedicating the 5700 block of Ponce de Leon
Boulevard (in front of Mark Light Stadium) in honor of Ron Fraser. The proclamation (Resolution No. 27991)
was issued and presented by Coral Gables Mayor George M. Corrigan, “in recognition of [Ron Fraser’s] inspired
leadership in coaching the University of Miami Hurricanes Baseball Team. The occasion was inspired by
Fraser’s retirement from the University after 30 years.
A cornerstone marker was installed at the corner of Ponce de Leon and San Amaro.
Brief Bio
See Ron Fraser Baseball Building
Charles H. Gautier Hall
(Rathskeller)
1330 Miller Drive
[8,501 sq. ft.]
History
Built in 1972, and named for Charles H. Gautier, the building houses the University’s Rathskeller.
Brief Donor Bio
Charles H. Gautier was an alumnus of the University and a member of the Board of Trustees from 1969-1971.
He was instrumental in post-60s development of better relations between administration and students. He worked
to identify student leaders and provide practical training experience.
R. Bunn Gautier Plaza
(Physics Quadrangle)
1320 Campo Sano Drive
History
Completed and dedicated in February 1991, as part of the science-engineering complex envisioned in the
University’s master plan, and located adjacent to the James L. Knight Physics Building.
Named for Redmond Bunn Gautier, Jr., former Florida State Representative and Senator, and chairman of the
University of Miami Board of Trustees.
Brief Donor Bio
R. Bunn Gautier, Jr. was an attorney, Florida State Representative and Florida State Senator who sponsored the
legislation in 1951 that made possible the first medical school in the state, earning him the title of “Father of the
University of Miami School of Medicine.” He passed away in February 1989, due to lung cancer, at the age of
79. President Foote said of him, at his memorial service, “His contributions to the community and the University
were monumental. He was the conscience of this University.”
Gautier chaired the major gifts committee of the Office of the Chairman in the Campaign for the University, and
had helped raise $446 million of the target $500 million just a month prior to his death. He served as a member of
the Board of Trustees since 1962 and served on virtually all its committees. He was vice chair from 1970-71,
chair of the executive committee from 71-73, and chair from 1973-76. He continued to serve as a member, and in
1987 was again elected vice chair.
A native Miamian, and a resident of Key Biscayne, he was Dade County’s sole Senator during the late 1940s and
early 1950s. Among his many accomplishments was his leadership in paving the way for approval of Dad’s
Home Rule Charter, freeing local officials from the state legislature’s control. He also introduced a home rule
constitutional amendment in 1951 that gave local officials the power to make changes themselves. This work
earned him recognition as the “Father of Metro-Dade government.”
He also served as a Lieutenant in the Navy during WWII, and earned a long list of honors for his extensive
service to the South Florida Community.
Gifford Arboretum
(Gifford Arboretum)
San Amaro Drive and Campo Sano
[2.1 acres]
History
A two-acre sanctuary located at the intersection of San Amaro Drive and Campo Sano on the northwest corner of
the Coral Gables Campus, the Arboretum was founded in 1947 by Frank Rimoldi, a professor of applied tropical
botany. Two years later (1949), it was renamed for Dr. John C. Gifford, renowned conservationist, professor of
tropical forestry at the University of Miami, and the first American to ever hold a graduate degree in forestry.
The arboretum is home to 90 percent of Florida’s 130 native species of shrubs and trees, 86 different plant
families, and 43 species of palm (as of 1996).
A self-guided trail though the arboretum was inaugurated on January 28, 1996, and winds through 13 marked
sections of plantings. The train was a result of the efforts of the Arboretum Committee, chaired at the time by
biology professor Carol Horvitz, and the Friends of the Arboretum, chaired at the time by Kathy Gaubatz.
Through the years it served as a center for research and teaching, as well as enjoyment. However, during the late
1980s, it was slated to be paved over as a parking lot. Luckily, the Department of Biology and the Friends of the
Gifford Arboretum managed to preserve, reorganize and reinaugurate the Arboretum in 1991 – just in time to
survive Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Brief Donor Bio
Dr. John Clayton Gifford originally settled in Coconut Grove in 1902. He became the first American ever to
hold a doctorate degree in forestry. He served as a professor of tropical forestry at the University of Miami. He
also, along with three other associates, donated a strip of land on Elliott Key for a marine biology research station.
Originally interested in medicine, he earned a medical degree and was in private practice for a short time.
However, his lifelong interest in botany came to the forefront, and he went to Germany to earn a doctorate degree
in forestry. He was an early advocate of conservation and the preservation of natural resources, and was a strong
supporter of Everglades National Park.
Frank Rimoldi was a University of Miami professor of applied tropical botany during the 1940s and ‘50s.
Friends of the Gifford Arboretum is a non-profit fundraising organization founded in the 1980s to preserve and
maintain the Gifford Arboretum.
Greentree Practice Fields
(Hecht Athletic Center)
5821 Hurricane Drive
History
Created in 1981 and named for the University of Miami benefactor Myron S. Greentree, the Greetree Practice
Fields, adjacent to the Hecht Athletic Center, are the training grounds for the Miami Hurricanes Football Team,
who brought home the 1983, ’87, ’89, and ’91 National Football Championships.
The fields underwent a $2 million renovation in 1998, and now include three full-length prescription athletic turf
fields, and lighting for evening practice.
(The intramural fields were moved at this time to an area near the Smathers Wellness Center).
History
Myron S. Greetree was a retired real estate executive whose hobby included flying, and he once barnstormed
Biscayne Bay in an old biplane. Art Laskey, a former business manager in the University of Miami athletic
department, once described Greentree as “quite a gentleman…one of those Damon Runyan characters if you ever
knew one.”
Born in Columbus, Georgia, he moved to Miami in 1924 and set up his firm, Greentree Realty. Ten years later he
met Oscar Dooly, and together they handled such clients as Southeast Bank, Pan American Bank, and Burdines.
Greentree was a generous benefactor to the University for 32 years, in the areas of athletics, ophthalmology and
medicine. He especially advocated the preservation of open green spaces on campus, which is one reason why he
supported the creation of Greentree Field so strongly.
Maurice Gusman Concert Hall
(Gusman Concert Hall)
1314 Miller Drive
[36,558 sq. ft.]
History
Maurice Gusman donated $2.5 million to build the University of Miami’s Maurice Gusman Concert Hall – a 600seat theatre which was dedicated in 1975.
Dr. William F. Lee, then dean of the School of Music, composed “Eight Vignettes for a Festive Occasion: A
Simul-Sensory Experience,” for the dedication ceremonies.
During 1999 through 2001, Gusman Concert Hall was renovated through a combination of gifts, including a grant
from the State of Florida, a special allocation from the President, deferred maintenance funds. An additional gift
from Austin and Marta Weeks funded the construction of an elevator.
Brief Donor Bio
Maurice Gusman was a millionaire Russian businessman, well-known philanthropist, and former president of
the Greater Miami Philharmonic Society Orchestra. Born in the Ukraine in 1888, Gusman was the oldest of 10
children, and spent his early years selling farm produce and livestock. He emigrated to the U.S. at the age of 14,
and arrived, penniless, in New York City, where he learned Italian form other immigrants prior to learning
English.
His first job in the U.S. was as a clerk in a drugstore for a salary of $3 per week. He studied and became a
pharmacist, and bought his own drug store with $1,200 borrowed from friends. He was only 17 years old at the
time. He later parlayed his skills to build a multimillion dollar business in wholesale pharmaceutical sales. He
lost everything during the Depression, but once again managed to rebuild his fortune by shifting his interests to
the manufacture of rubber products. The Miami Herald often called him the “prophylactic mogul.” He sold his
company in 1947 due to the frail health of his wife, and moved to Miami, where he became active in real estate
and other investments.
Gusman’s philanthropic activities in the South Florida community included a $5 million donation to purchase and
restore Miami’s historic Olympia Theatre, then the home of the Miami philharmonic Orchestra. At the age of 79,
Gusman was named a Special Envoy to Africa by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. He was awarded an
honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Miami in 1972. He died in April 1980.
For Weeks – see L. Austin Weeks Center for Recording and Performance.
Hecht Athletic Center
(Hecht Athletic Center)
5821 Hurricane Drive
[43,562 sq. ft.]
History
The Hecht Athletic Center houses all the administrative and management offices of the University’s Athletic
Department. The first section of this complex was built in 1951 (19,706 sq. ft.) The second and third additions
were built in 1979 (17,156 sq. ft.), and the fourth addition was built in 1994 (6,700 sq. ft.).
The 1979 additions (as well as renovations to the original building) were made possible by a $1 million gift from
Florence and David Hecht, the wife and son of the late Isadore Hecht, former owner of Flagler Dog Track. The
Hecht Athletic Center was officially dedicated on September 14, 1979, and Florida Governor Bob Graham was
the featured guest, along with University of Miami President Henry King Stanford and Head Football Coach
Howard Schnellenberger. Florence and David Hecht were also on hand for the dedication. Currently under
consideration is a proposed expansion to the Center that would include upgrading the weight room, training
facilities, coaches’ offices and team meeting room.
Brief Donor Bio
For Florence Ruch Hecht – see Hecht Residential College.
Hecht Residential College
(Hecht Residential College)
1231 Dickinson Drive
[170,194 sq. ft.]
History
In 1984, the University of Miami established the first residential college in the southeastern U.S. The college
houses 450 undergraduates and has its own library, classrooms and computer laboratory. It was the first of six
such residential colleges to be built on the Coral Gables Campus.
On October 2, 1986, this residential college was dedicated to Florence Ruth Hecht, in honor of the more than $1
million (including more than $200,000 to the Residence Hall Fund) that she had contributed to various areas
throughout the University (as of 1998).
The college was created from the existing McDonald and Pentland residence halls, which had been constructed in
1968, and were originally known as the 1968 East and West Towers.
Brief Donor Bio
Florence Ruth Hecht has been a member of the UM Board of Trustees since 1983, and was elected a lifetime
trustee in 1995. Her relationship with the University extends over 30 years. She and her late husband, Isadore
Hecht – the former owner of Flagler Dog Track – have been long-time civic and philanthropic leaders. Her
family’s gifts to the University include the Hecht Athletic Center, Isadore Hecht Visual Communications Center
at the Anne Bates Leach Eye Hospital/Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, College of Arts and Sciences, School of
Law, School of Medicine and Intercollegiate Athletics.
Florence Hecht graduated from Smith College in 1937, and became a renowned philanthropist throughout South
Florida, presented with numerous humanitarian awards.
Mrs. Ruth B. McDonald was a local resident and generous supporter of the University of Miami. She
contributed a total of more than $2 million, anonymously, through gifts and bequests, including a $500,000 to
help build the Otto G. Richter Library. One of the “1968 Towers” was named in her honor during the early
1970s.
Colonel Robert Pentland Jr. was involved in the University’s history from its founding. He was a Trustee from
1946-66, and a generous donor, however he was primarily recognized for his involvement as the leading founder
of the University of Miami Citizens Board. He, along with Dennis B. Welsh, the first Development Director for
the University, presided over the series of dinner meetings with prominent civic and business leaders which later
became the Citizens Board. One of the “1968 Towers” was named in his honor during the early 1970s.
Jerry Herman Theatre Complex
(Jerry Herman Ring Theatre)
1380 Miller Drive
[14,589 sq. ft.]
History
Constructed in 1951 at a cost of $110,000, the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre first opened in July of that year. It’s
unique design was inspired by the ring “theatre” the University’s drama department had been using since 1946 –
the three-stories-high rotunda of the Anastasia Building (known as “Coffin Tower”), which had been used to train
aviators during WWII. A blue parachute was hung from the top, white parachutes were hung around the sides,
and 127 seats were arranged around the second floor, the center of which was the stage.
When The Ring opened, it was the world’s largest unsupported pre-stressed concrete dome structure. Hundreds
of plays have been presented over the years, and the Theatre Department ranks among the top ten in the U.S.
Alumni include Sylvester Stallone, Ray Liotta, Stephen Bauer (Wiseguy), Sandra Santiago (Miami Vice), Andrew
Prine (The Miracle Worker), Tina Louise (Gilligan’s Island) and Gail Edwards (It’s a Living).
The Ring was renovated and rededicated to alumnus Jerry Herman in 1966. More than $1.7 million in
renovations included a new stage and seating area (named in honor of the Alvin Sherman Family).
Funding for these renovations was provided by two benefit performances presented by Mr. Herman in the Ring in
April and May, 1992, which raised more than $50,000. In December 1992, Mr. Herman made an additional
personal gift of $300,000.
On January 19, 1993, the Board of Trustees Executive Committee passed a resolution renaming the Ring Theatre
as “The Jerry Herman Theatre Complex,” in honor of Mr. Herman’s professional success, and long-term
generosity to and support of the University.
Brief Donor Bio
Jerry Herman (B.S. ’53 and D.F.A. ’80) is one of the University’s most distinguished alumni. He is a lifelong
supporter of the University and publicly attributes much of his success to what he learned in experimental drama
about all facets of a complete production.
A Tony – and Grammy-award-winning Broadway composer and lyricist, Mr. Herman created many of
Broadway’s most beloved and successful shows, including Mame, Hello Dolly!, Milk and Honey and La Cage aux
Folles. The University awarded him the Order of Merit in 1971, New York Alumnus of Distinction in 1992 and
Alumnus of Distinction in 1975.
Baron de Hirsch Meyer School of Law
(School of Law)
1311 Miller Drive
[193,492 total sq. ft.]
History
All five School of Law buildings, constructed between 1955 and 1975, were made possible through the combined
$1.8 million in contributions from Baron de Hirsch Meyer. He also bequeathed $600,000 upon his death in 1974
toward the enlargement of the Law Library, which at that time housed 150,000 volumes – the largest collection in
the South. The addition cost $1,400,000 and was dedicated in December 1975. Polly, his wife, also gave a total
of $3.2 million (as of 1986).
The School of Law was founded in 1928. Adequate space was always a problem, given the University’s early
history, (see Merrick Building), and was exacerbated in the 1950s by the American Bar Association’s new
requirement that law schools be housed separately at universities. “The Baron’s” gift could not have been
timelier or more appreciated.
Brief Donor Bio
A lawyer, banker and real estate investor, Baron de Hirsch Meyer had one of the longest records of service to
the University. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin (where he acquired his nickname, “The Baron”) with a
law degree from Harvard Law School, he arrived in Miami in 1925 and became a member of the Florida Bar in
1927. He was a University of Miami Trustee from 1955-74, and served as Chair of the Golden Anniversary
Development Program. In January 1973, the University conferred on him the distinguished Order of Merit – the
University’s highest honor, and a rare award for those who have done special service to the University.
He dedicated his life to creating opportunities for young people to enter the legal profession, and, poignantly,
contributed the funds for the UM a Law Library on the morning of the day he passed away. He also contributed
significantly to scores of philanthropic organizations throughout South Florida, most notably by creating and
supporting the Jewish Home for the Aged and Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach. A veteran of World War II,
he earned the Bronze Star and the Air Medal serving in the Air Force in the Pacific Theatre, and attained the rank
of Major.
His distinctive formal attire always included a handmade velvet bow tie with a pin in the shape of a parrot (a
“Polly”) for his wife. Baron married Polly Lux in 1950. Polly was a former Ziegfield Follies performer who had
parlayed an initial savings of $5,000 into a multimillion dollar fortune by investing in Miami Beach real estate.
She also formed her own construction company and built dozens of Miami Beach hotels. Since Polly was
Catholic and Baron was Jewish, both families objected to their marriage, but after the couple had courted for 16
years, the families finally gave their approval. Polly was a multimillionaire in her own right before marrying
Baron.
Hurricane Drive
(Hurricane Drive)
San Amaro Drive
History
The City of Coral Gables passed a resolution (#24541) in January 1984 to name a section of San Amaro Drive at
the intersection of Ponce de Leon Boulevard and adjacent to Mark Light Stadium as Hurricane Drive, and
authorized a sign to be erected there at the City’s expense.
The City’s resolution also designated the official address of Hecht Athletic Center as “No. 1 Hurricane Drive”.
The resolution commemorated the 1983 National Championship of the University of Miami Hurricane Football
Team – its first ever.
George W. Jenkins Administration Building
(Jenkins Building: School of Business)
5250 University Drive
[70,124 sq. ft.]
History
While the origins of the School of Business stretch back to the founding of the University, it was not until the late
1970s that a permanent home for the School began to take shape.
In 1977, Bermello-Ajamil & Partners designed a unique structure that would become a landmark on the Coral
Gables Campus and the centerpiece of the future School of Business. George W. Jenkins, the founder of Publix
Supermarkets, provided the initial funding for the building, which was dedicated in 1980 as the George W.
Jenkins Administration Building.
Brief Donor Bio
George W. Jenkins is another astonishing Horatio Alger tale associated with the University of Miami School of
Business. His total contributions to the School added up to more than $2.5 million, but his personal history also
had a profound impact. A University Trustee from 1969-86, he was named Trustee Emeritus in 1986.
Born in 1907 in a rural backwater in Georgia, Jenkins graduated from Georgia Tech University and later moved to
Florida to establish his career. He began as a janitor at a Piggly Wiggly supermarket in Tampa in 1925. In less
than two months, he had been promoted to manager, but when upper executives were unwilling to promote him
further, he opened his own grocery store right next door!
The first store in 1930 set a new standard for cleanliness and beauty. It also began the time that Publix set the
standard for employee relations, by establishing profit sharing and employee ownership from the start. Gross
annual sales in the early years averaged about $100,000, slowly rising to $120,000 by 1934 during the Great
Depression! While many competitors’ store shelves went bare for lack of goods, George Jenkins traversed the
country seeking products to send back home to stock his stores. In his travels, he also garnered ideas about how
to better the business. His motto was “Do what you do better than anyone else”.
In 1940, Publix opened Florida’s first supermarket. This “food palace” was made of marble, glass and stucco,
and was equipped with innovations never seen before in a grocery store: air conditioning, fluorescent lighting,
electric-eye doors, frozen food cases, piped-in music, eight-foot wide aisles, self-serve dairy cases, in-store donut
and flower shops. People traveled for miles to shop there, and Publix prospered, even during the war years.
In 1951, the chain’s 24 stores grossed more than $18 million. By 1955, gross sales had increased to $49 million
with earnings of $830,504. And in 1956, Publix recorded its first million dollar profit year.
Today, Publix has locations throughout the southeastern U.S., and its annual sales total more than $12.1 billion,
(as of 1998), making it the largest employee-owned supermarket chain in the U.S.
George W. Jenkins passed away on April 8, 1996.
Kearns Sports Hall of Fame
(Hall of Fame)
5821 San Amaro Drive
[2,902 sq. ft.]
History
The Kearns Sports Hall of Fame at the University of Miami is renowned as one of the finest Sports Halls of Fame
on a collegiate campus in the nation. It is also an extraordinary tribute to the many people throughout the
community who made it possible.
The Hall of Fame organization was originally established in 1966 by six local circuit court judges who wanted to
honor the athletes and coaches at the University of Miami and preserve the University’s athletic traditions. Each
year, the group inducted about five honorees. However the group had no facility in which to house the trophies
and honors for more than 20 years.
Then one day in the early 1970s, Walter Kichefski, a University of Miami alumnus (class of 1939) and a
University of Miami football coach for more than 34 years, discovered a hand-hewn Seminole canoe, made from
200-year-old cypress wood, on a trash pile on campus. The canoe was an early UM football tradition, awarded to
the winner of the UM-University of Florida football game each year. Kichefski rescued the canoe, and came over
the next decade also rescued hundreds of other athletic memorabilia and traditions that might have been lost
forever. He soon realized that a permanent facility was needed.
Kichefski approached Sam Jankovich, then Athletic Director, with his idea, and Jankovich gave his permission
for a building, with the caveat that no University funds be used for its construction. So Kichefski approached
Tom Kearns, a University of Miami trustee and an enthusiastic Hurricane supporter who had a box at the Orange
Bowl and never missed a game. Kearns immediately gave Kichefski $250,000 in cash. But more money was
needed, so Kichefski invited individual donors to contribute $2,500 each for the more than 100 showcases in the
main lobby, and grand donors for the building’s two main rooms: the conference room ($25,000) and founders’
gallery ($15,000). Other individuals contributed $1,000 each for trophy displays, while hundreds of people
donated other amounts.
The building was designed by architect John Forbes, who donated his services. Donald Mariutto, a Hall of Famer
himself, donated all the tile and other construction materials, through his company, Donald Mariutto Tile.
Babock Company donated all the furniture and interior wood finishings. Larry Wilson, a former UM baseball and
football star, and president of the Hall of Fame organization at the time, donated his services as the designer of the
interior of the building.
When the building was completed in 1989, it was dedicated to Tom Kearns and named to the Kearns Sports Hall
of Fame, and the entire building was donated to the University of Miami. The Hall of Fame organization
continues as the governing board, and is in charge of selecting recipients and installing showcases. The
committee surprised Kichefski by naming the lobby the Walter Kichefski Championship Lobby.
The Kearns Sports Hall of Fame houses outstanding awards and trophies, including two solid Waterford Crystal
footballs, as well as irreplaceable items donated by UM athletes who have been honored, including Gardner
Molloy’s Wimbledon-winning tennis racket, basketball great Rick Barry’s shoes, Ted Hendricks’ 3-time All
American Football trophies, a copy of every single football program, a bicycle that was used for training by the
Hurricanes first football coach (donated to the hall by his widow), and much more.
Brief Donor Bios
Thomas N. “Kutch” Kearns was a University of Miami alumnus and a varsity player in three sports during the
late 1930s and early 1940s: football, basketball and boxing. He graduated in 1942, and later founded Meekins
Construction Corp., now Meekins Financial Corporation He was a state representative in the Florida legislature
during the 1960s and very active in the community. He also served the University of Miami as a member of the
Board of Trustees from 1975 - ___. He was an extraordinary Hurricane fan, who had his own private box at the
Orange Bowl, and never missed a game.
Walter Kichefski was a captain and quarterback of the University of Miami Hurricane football team in the late
1930s and early 1940s, and led the team to dramatic victories. He joined the University’s football coaching staff
in 1943, and in 1970, after the unexpected sudden resignation of former Coach Charlie Tate, was named head
football coach and athletic director. In 1971, he also helped found, and was the first director of, the Athletic
Federation, a volunteer organization which later evolved to become the Hurricane Club, one of the most important
fundraising arms of the athletic department. Kichefski served the University for more than 34 years.
For more information, see Ron Fraser Baseball Building.
James L. Knight Center/Miami Convention Center
(Knight Center)
400 SE Second Avenue
History
In 1971, James L. Knight and the Knight Foundation pledged $3.2 million to create an international conference
center in downtown Miami. Three entities comprise this building: The Hyatt Regency Hotel, the City of Miami,
and the University of Miami School of Continuing Studies. It was dedicated in September 1982.
The School of Continuing Studies maintains the third and fourth floors. On the third floor, the University has
several meeting rooms and the Ashe Auditorium, which accommodates 444 people, and was recently renovated.
Many cultural events as well as professional conferences are held there. There are also terraces for meetings and
parties. The fourth floor has two computer labs, and hosts professional development courses. There are also staff
offices for School of Continuing Studies personnel. In addition, when the Hyatt runs out of space for their
meetings/events, they use the UM space. Renovations are currently underway, to accommodate the print shop for
the School of Continuing Studies that was formerly housed in Rainbow Building.
The Knight Center also hosts the home games of the Hurricane Basketball teams.
Brief Donor Bio
See James L. Knight Physics Building
James L. Knight Physics Building
(Physics Quadrangle)
1320 Campo Sano Drive
[73,000 sq. ft.]
History
Completed and dedicated in February 1991, just a few days following the death of the University’s foremost
benefactor, James L. Knight, on February 5. Marjorie Crane, Knight’s daughter, performed the ribbon cutting.
Constructed as the result of a leading trust by James L. Knigh5 million, the largest gift in the University’s history.
A primarily unrestricted gift, part of the income from this trust was used to finance $8.9 million in bonds to
construct the new physics building, while $5 million was earmarked for Bascom Palmer Eye Institute on the
Medical Campus. Knight’s only restriction was that none of the funds be spent on day-to-day operations.
The 80,000 square physics building designed by Spillis, Candela and Partners, In., is a three-part facility that
features covered walkways, pre-cast stone finish, and a copper-barrel vaulter roof. The largest of the three
structures is a three-story laboratory/classroom/office building that features a covered arcade leading into a new
quadrangle. The research wing is reached by a skylit walkway and houses and laboratories for condensed matter,
plasma and optical physics, among others. Space was also provided for the machine, welding and other shops
used by physicists for constructing research equipment. The 150-seat Wilder Auditorium is also part of the
complex.
The building completes the science-engineering complex envisioned in the University’s master plan.
Brief Donor Bio
James L. Knight, chairman emeritus of The Miami Herald, was the University of Miami’s foremost individual
donor of all time. Prior to his landmark $56 million gift, he had contributed nearly $6 million for projects ranging
from the School of Continuing Studies building (Allen Hall), and the $3 million James L. Knight International
Center in downtown Miami, to scholarships and endowments.
Knight attended Brown University, then took over management of The Akron Beacon Journal in 1931, when his
father, the owner and publisher, passed away. John became publisher and won a Pulitzer Prize for his editorials,
while James managed the business side.
James L. Knight and his brother, John S. Knight, purchased The Miami Herald in 1937. Through the years, they
purchased more newspapers around the country (including the Detroit Free Press and Chicago Daily News), and
in 1974, merged with the Ridder newspaper group to become the largest newspaper publishing company in the
nation.
Knight served the company in several capacities, as the company’s president (1966-67), chairman and CEO
(1967-73) and chairman of the executive committee (1973-76). He was instrumental in pioneering state-of-the-art
media technologies.
In 1983, Forbes magazine named him one of the 400 richest Americans. He was an ardent philanthropist
throughout the South Florida community, and established both the James L. Knight Charitable Trust and the
Knight Foundation memorializing his brother, John. But he had a special relationship with the University of
Miami, where for nearly 50 years he supported academics, athletics, medicine, continuing education, minority
scholarships, and much more.
At one point, through a clerical error, an extra $100,000 found its way into one of his checks to the University.
When President Edward T. Foote II pointed out the error, Knight told him to let it ride. In a letter to Foote, he
wrote, “Shucks, I’ll remember this and deduct it from my next pledge”. He never did. Instead, he added $56
million more.
NOTE: James L. Knight never served on the Board of Trustees. However, his brother, John S. Knight, was a
member of the Board of Trustees from 1950-64.
James L. Knight Sports Complex
(Knight Sports Complex)
San Amaro Drive (Hurricane Drive)
[28,500 sq. ft.]
History
The completion of the Knight Sports Complex marked a significant resurrection of the basketball program at the
University of Miami. Constructed in 1984 between the Hecht Athletic Center and the practice field, the facility
houses the offices for the men’s basketball staff, and serves as a home court for the women’s basketball games.
(Men’s teams play home games at the Knight Center in downtown Miami).
The building was made possible by a gift of $1 million from the James L. Knight Charitable Trust, and was
officially dedicated as the Knight Sports Complex on November 12, 1985, in honor of James L. Knight.
In 1994, the building was refurbished with a new permanent playing surface.
Brief Donor Bio
James L. Knight – See James L. Knight Physics Building
Kosar/Epstein Faculty Office Wing
(Gerald & Josephine Aresty Building, School of Business)
5250 University Drive
12,000 sq. ft.]
History
The Kosar/Epstein Faculty Office Wing, a structure with 39 faculty offices and meeting rooms, was completed in
2003 and houses three departments – Marketing, Accounting, and Management Science. These departments were
formerly located at both the Jenkins Building and the Merrick Building. The new wing is located at the Gerald &
Josephine Aresty Building, adjacent to the James L. McLamore Executive Education Center.
Construction was made possible by a large donation from former UM quarterback Bernie Kosar Jr. and his
business partner, David Epstein. The gift served as a kickoff to the School of Business Administration’s
fundraising component of a university-wide comprehensive campaign.
Brief Donor Bio
Bernie Kosar Jr., a star quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist, earned a B.B.A. in 1985 from UM’s Business
School. In 1983, he led the Hurricanes to their first national championship while at the same time maintaining a
high academic standing in the classroom. Following a 13-year NFL career, he retired from football in 1997 and
put his finance and economics degree to work by serving on the board of WildCard Systems, which specializes in
electronic stored-value cards and accounts, and as an advisor with Precision Response Corp., a customer
relationship management firm he joined in 1993. In 1994, he was named the School of Business’ Alumnus of
Distinction, and he was elected to the University’s Board of Trustees in 2000.
David Epstein is co-founder of Precision Response Corporation (PRC), a global customer relationship
management company, based in Weston, Florida. He is currently a managing partner in Presidential Capital
Partners and Epko Investments. Epstein’s father, Alan, attended UM, and in his name, PRC endowed the Alan S.
Epstein Scholarship Fund at the UM School of Medicine. He and Kosar are part owners of the Florida Panthers
hockey team.
Koubek Memorial Center
(Koubek Center)
2705 SW Third Street
History
When Austrian immigrant John J. Koubek built a 5,000 square foot Mediterranean style mansion for his wife,
Rose, in 1929, he created a romantic fantasy house, with stained glass windows depicting tropical flowers and
nature scenes, whimsical seahorses embossed on the wrought-iron banister of the spiral staircase, and handpainted ceramic tiles depicting the legend of Don Quixote.
Koubek, a real estate investor who had emigrated to the U.S. with his family at the age of 8, donated the house –
and $1 million – to the University of Miami in 1942 for use as an adult education center, in memorial to his late
wife. He said it was his way of expressing his thanks to his new country for his success.
Under the UM’s direction, the Koubek Center grew to include a 186-seat auditorium, a computer lab and six
classrooms offering education and personal enrichment classes (in the Spanish language) to the Latin community,
especially newly arrived immigrants. In the late 1970s, the University began construction of a new auditorium,
which was completed in 1980, and rededicated in 1998 as the Luis J. Botifoll Auditorium.
In 1996, the Koubek Center received a grant of $225,492 from the Florida Department of State, Division of
Historical Resources, to provide historic restoration and return the mansion to its original charm. The School of
Continuing Studies also contributed $50,000. An ongoing fundraising campaign for further renovations was
spearheaded by UM Trustee Emeritus and honorary chairman of the Friends of Koubek, Luis J. Botifoll.
Renovations included the ceiling in the dining room which features hand-painted stenciling, a roof restoration
with hand-made tiles from Cuba. Restoration was completed in 1999 and received an award for “Outstanding
Restoration Project” from the Dade Heritage Trust.
For his efforts, Botifoll was awarded the Presidential Order of Merit – the University’s highest honor – in July
1998, during the dedication of the Koubek Center’s newly renovated 180-seat auditorium, which was named in
Botifoll’s honor.
Brief Donor Bios
John J. Koubek arrived in the coal mining village of Riverton, Illinois on Christmas Eve, 1884. He was eight
years old, and an immigrant from Austria, who went to work in the coal mines to support his family. At the age
of 20, he borrowed enough money to enroll in business school. After serving as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army
during World War I, he moved to Miami in 1919 and began investing in land. When he built his home in 1920, it
was perched literally on the edge of the Everglades. Today it is the heart of Little Havana. In addition to
donating the Koubek Mansion, he also donated his second home on Bayshore Drive in Coconut Grove, along with
an additional $1 million in cash in 1971.
Luis J. Botifoll, Trustee Emeritus of the University, fled Cuba and immigrated to Miami in 1960. He was a
former corporate attorney, legal advisor to the Cuban Commerce Department, chief of maritime economic affairs
at the Cuban Maritime Commission, editor of one of Cuba’s leading newspapers – El Mundo – and president of
Union Radio. He also became a leader in his new home in South Florida. In 1970 he was named director of
Republic National Bank, which helped many Cuban exiles start over in the U.S. In 1978 he was elected chairman
of the board of the bank’s board of directors. He retired in 1993.
William A. Lane Campus Sports and Recreation Center
(No longer exists – however donor commemorative has been retained)
1241 Dickinson Drive
History
The William A. Lane Campus Sports and Recreation Center was dedicated and opened on Tuesday, October 14,
1975 as an intramural and student activities center. Funds to construct the building came from the DunspaughDalton Foundation.
The building was named for William A. Lane Sr., who was the father of William A. Lane, Jr., an alumnus of the
University of Miami School of Law. Lane Sr. was the attorney for the Dunspaugh family. When the family’s
estate was settled, it became the Dunspaugh-Dalton Foundation and Lane Sr. became its chairman. William A.
Lane, Jr., an alumnus of the University of Miami School of Law, became the chairman of the foundation after his
father’s death, and arranged for the Foundation’s nearly $2 million total gifts to the University, including the
funds for the Sports Center.
The Center was demolished in 1996 to make way for the George A. Smathers Student Wellness Center.
However, in order to continue to commemorate William A. Lane’s contributions, the largest gymnasium in the
Smathers Wellness Center was dedicated to him.
Brief Donor Bio
William A. Lane, Jr. Was an attorney who earned his J.D. at the University of Miami in 1949. He had
previously attended Duke University, where he later served on their board of trustees from 1983-1995. He served
the UM as a very active member of the Citizens Board from 1965-1990.
While his personal giving to the University totaled only $775, he was the president of the Dunspaugh-Dalton
Foundation, and responsible for that organization’s overall contribution of $1.87 million between 1964 and 1990.
In addition to the Lane Center, the Foundation funded UM’s School of Medicine, School of Communications,
Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, School of Music/Festival Miami, track and field, and many other areas.
See George A. Smathers Student Wellness Center
Marion and Ed Lau Founders Hall
University of Miami Faculty Club
1550 Brescia Avenue
[6,570 sq. ft.]
History
The Faculty Club was built in 1967. In 1972, University of Miami President Henry King Stanford reported to the
Board of Trustees that the estate of Mr. Edgar Lau designated a gift of $400,000 to the University, with the
understanding that a suitable memorial be established and named for him and his wife. The Faculty Club, in
which the Board of Trustees had been meeting, and in which was contained a plaque honoring the names of the
University’s founders, was selected as the most appropriate facility. The Faculty Club was therefore renamed the
“Marion and Ed Lau Founders Hall”.
Brief Donor Bios
Edgar B. Lau was a University of Miami Trustee from 1960-73. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, he retired
from the hardware business to settle in Miami. It is known that he is also a member of the Surf Club of Miami
Beach.
Unfortunately, no further information is available about the Lau family.
Mark Light Field
(“The Light”)
6201 San Amaro Drive (Hurricane Drive)
History
In 1971, George Light and his wife, Ethel, donated $100,000 to provide lighting and other capital improvements
for the baseball field. The field is named for his adopted son, Mark, who died of muscular dystrophy at the age of
16. Another gift from the Lights, of $95,000 in 1974, started the fund to construct a concrete stadium, with
seating for 5,000, which was completed in the summer of 1977. In 1994, the field was refurbished (with natural
grass) for the first time in its history.
“The Light” has been the home of the 1982, 1985, and 1999 NCAA World Series Championships, and has a
seating capacity of 5,000.
Brief Donor Bio
George Light was the president of Modern Plastics in Hialeah, Florida, and was an active and substantial
supporter of the University since 1964, when he first joined the Citizen’s Board. His other gifts included $50,000
to the Golden Anniversary Development Program, and a donation of Motion picture equipment to the Department
of Communication. He was also a charter member of the University’s Society of University Founders. Light was
a native of Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from Western Reserve University. He died in 1978.
Ethel Light had also been a major contributor to the University in her own right, with a total recognition of
$260,000 between 1979 and 1984, to a variety of University areas. She died in 1994 at the age of 84.
The Lights’ son, Mark, was adopted, and had been living with his new family for only a week when he was
diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy and given only a year to live. The Lights could have given him back, but
they cherished him, and their love is, perhaps, what enabled him to live to become a teenager.
It is interesting to note that George’s father, David Light, contributed more than $60,000 and his widow more
than $16,000 to “Harvey” in the School of Medicine.
Lowe Art Museum
(Lowe Art Museum)
1301 Stanford Drive
[37,555 sq. ft.]
History
The idea of a distinguished art museum located on campus was born with the idea of the University of Miami.
Art exhibits by student and faculty artists, as well as nationally renowned artists, were held occasionally in the
rotunda of the Anastasia Building.
In 1950, a group of civic-minded citizens called on President Bowman Foster Ashe and pointed out that since
there was no permanent art exhibition space in South Florida, the University was a logical place. So on February
22 of that year, guests fathered to inaugurate the community’s first museum, The University of Miami Art
Gallery, located in three rooms on the second floor of the newly completed Merrick Building. Two years later,
Joe and Emily Lowe took the first step toward creating a separate, dedicated museum when they provided the
funds to construct the first unit of the building that now bears their name. The Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery
was officially dedicated on February 4, 1952. Miami architect Robert Little designed the building.
In 1953, the Beaux Arts group – 100 young professional women dedicated to educating the community about art –
provided funding for the construction of an additional wing called the Children’s Pavilion, and in 1954, a
workshop.
In 1956, The Barton Wing – a 1,300 sq. ft. addition – was built to permanently house the Alfred I. Barton
Collection of Indian paintings and artifacts donated by Barton in 1955. Alberti M. Andreas, Claire Mendel, Bryan
Newkirk, Robert A. Pentland, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Stubblefield, Mrs. Phillip Wyman, Mrs. Staley and the
Board of Governors of the Surf Club were among those who contributed funds to build the new wing named in
Mr. Barton’s honor.
The Kress Wing, a 2,500 sq. ft. expansion also designed by Little, was constructed in 1961 to house the Samuel
H. Kress Collection. This collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings and sculptures collected by Samuel H.
Kress was initially deeded to the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. The new wing was made possible by gifts
from the Lowes and Ione T. Staley. James Donn of Exotic Gardens donated and created a landscaped sculpture
garden surrounding the Lowe, which at this point encompassed a total of 23,100 sq. ft., making it the largest art
museum in the community.
In recognition of its growth, the Lowe was re-dedicated in 1968 as the Lowe Art Museum. In 1972 it became the
first museum in Dade County to be professionally accredited by the American Association of Museums, and in
1985 it was recognized by the state of Florida as a major cultural facility.
In 1992, another major expansion took place, with a $3.6 million addition and renovation that increased the size
of the Lowe to 40,000 sq. ft., including eight permanent and two temporary galleries designed by architect
Charles Harrison Pawley. A new unifying façade and entrance completed the project, which was completed in
1996.
Brief Donor Bios
The late Joe and Emily Lowe were well-known in New York City for their annual financial awards to support
New York artists. They maintained a winter home in Miami Beach, and became involved in furthering the
University of Miami’s cultural scope, beginning in 1945. They established the Joe and Emily Lowe Foundation
in 1949, and in 1950 the foundation’s gift of $120,790 founded the Lowe Art Museum on the Coral Gables
Campus. The Lowe Foundation also supported other areas at the University, particularly at the Medical School.
Born in New York City, Emily Lowe was an artist and a patron of the arts. She studied at Columbia University
and the New York School of Social Research, as well as the Acadamie Julien in Paris, France. She had several
one-woman shows of her paintings, and her work is also in many private collections. She died in 1966 at the age
of 71.
Joe Lowe was the co-founder and president of the Joe Lowe Corporation of Englewood, New Jersey – a national
supplier of ice cream and bakery products. He was also the inventor of the Popsicle™. He was a well-known
philanthropist and supported many organizations throughout New York and South Florida, including Mount Sinai
Hospital. He died in 1969 at the age of 87.
The late Alfred I. Barton was executive vice president of the Surf Club on Miami Beach.
Samuel H. Kress owned a nationwide chain of retail department stores, and was the founder of The Kress
Foundation.
Daniel J. Mahoney Residence Hall
(Mahoney Residential College)
1239 Dickinson Drive
[167,166 sq. ft.]
History
Built as one of four 12-story student dormitories in 1957 and 1958. The Daniel J. Mahoney Residence Hall was
dedicated in memory of Mahoney in December 1963. The building had preciously been called the 720 Residence
Hall, because it housed 720 women when it first opened in 1958. Hank Meyer, a South Florida public relations
mogul, donated a bust of Mahoney for the dedication.
Brief Donor Bio
John D. Mahoney was an angling expert and a founding sponsor of the International Oceanographic Foundation.
He came to Miami in 1923 and lived here as a winter resident until 1930, then moved here permanently thereafter.
Mahoney was a friend of James M. Cox, Jr., and worked with The Miami News from 1935 to 1950. He won a
Pulitzer Prize in 1939, and became publisher of The Miami News from 1951 to 1963.
Mahoney joined the University of Miami Board of Trustees in 1950 and served as Chairman from 1953 until his
death in 1963. He was instrumental in bringing Henry King Stanford to serve as the University’s third president.
His total personal commitment was $1,525, while The Miami News committed $30,417 at his direction.
J. Neville McArthur Engineering Building & Addition
(College of Engineering)
1251 Memorial Drive
[97,108 sq. ft. – Orig.]
[20,000 sq. ft. – Add.]
History
The founders of the University included a school of engineering in their plans, but the school experienced
considerable hardship in getting started. Begun in 1942 as a major in the College of Arts and Sciences, the
School of Engineering finally opened in 1947 with offerings in electrical, industrial and mechanical engineering,
followed by civil engineering in 1948 and architectural engineering in 1950. Housed for its first 12 years in the
Anastasia Building, it could not hope for accreditation until adequate facilities were available.
Following World War II, enrollment in the school boomed with returning GI’s, and was able to acquire a
considerable amount of war surplus supplies, such as basic laboratory equipment, drafting and surveying tools,
etc.
In 1959, a new building was made possible as the result of a $1 million donation from J. Neville McArthur, who
funded both the construction and the complete equipping of the Engineering building that bears his name: The J.
Neville McArthur Engineering Building.
Ground was broken for the 20,000 sq. ft. McArthur Engineering Building Addition on January 23, 1989. It
was the first building that was a direct result of fundraising through The Campaign for the University of Miami.
The addition was made possible by a $1.9 million gift from McArthur’s daughter, Jean McArthur Davis, and her
family. Davis was a UM Trustee from 1955 – 1969. Officially dedicated on October 16, 1990, the 20,000 square
foot addition contains laboratories for teaching and research, classrooms, a lecture hall and offices.
Brief Donor Bios
James Neville McArthur was the founder of McArthur Dairy, which became the largest individually-owned
dairy in the world. McArthur was born in Preston, Mississippi in 1892, and came to Miami 30 years later to teach
at Dade County Agricultural High School (now Edison Senior High School). He later became principal of the
school, and developed the school’s farm on NW 95th Street, where he began focusing his interest in dairy farming.
McArthur started his own dairy in Miami in 1930 with 50 acres of land, 20 cows, and $4,000 he borrowed from
his father. He sold his first quart of milk for six cents, and made his first deliveries in Miami Shores. The
company grew, despite the depression, and McArthur shared his success with the South Florida community,
sharing his wealth with various organizations.
The company’s operations were later divided into two units: McArthur Dairy (processing) and McArthur Farms
(cattle and land), and a new subsidiary – T.G. Lee – was also added. In 1980, Dean Foods purchased McArthur
Dairy and T.G. Lee, however McArthur Farms stayed in the family. The company is now known as McArthur
Management Company, and includes dairy, cattle, and citrus, and is currently run by McArthur’s granddaughter,
Nancy Jean Davis.
He served on the University’s Board of Trustees from 1955-69, and was a Trustee Emeritus from 1969 until his
death in 1972. He also was a founding member and President of the Citizen’s Board.
Jean McArthur Davis was McArthur’s daughter and a leading philanthropist in the South Florida community.
She was also an active University of Miami Trustee from 1975 until her premature death in 1995 due to a fall.
A graduate of Duke University (B.A> 1945), she served as both Chairperson of the Board of McArthur
Management Company after her father’s death, and director of the J.N. McArthur Foundation. She was married
to James Leonidas Davis.
Davis’ daughter (McArthur’s granddaughter), Nancy Jean Davis, is the current chairman and president of
McArthur Management Company, and was the 1994 Woman of the Year in Agriculture. Like her mother, she is
also a generous community philanthropist.
Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Advancement Building
(McKnight Building)
5807 Ponce de Leon Boulevard
[10,500 sq. ft.]
History
During his lifetime, William L. McKnight contributed nearly $12 million to the University of Miami, largely
unrestricted, and given anonymously, making him one of the top five individual donors in the University’s
history. A major supporter of the University, he had been named an Honorary Trustee.
After McKnights’ widow, Evelyn, passed away on October 2, 1999, the Board of Trustees passed a resolution on
November 16, 1999, naming two buildings in honor of the McKnights’ generosity. The former Ponce Building
on the Coral Gables Campus was renamed The Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Advancement Building,
while the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Vision Research Building was dedicated on the Medical Center
Campus. An additional $1 million bequest from Mrs. McKnight’s estate went to the Bascom Palmer Eye
Institute.
A resolution passed by the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees on August 22, 1995, indicates that the
former Ponce Building had been renamed once before as the William L. McKnight Advancement Building.
The Ponce Building had been purchased by the University in 1966 from an H. Kendrick for $140,000.
Brief Donor Bio
William L. McKnight was the Chairman of the Board of the 3M Company, and a major leader in the South
Florida community. He was honored in 1994 in the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame, and was a generous
philanthropist. He was interested in horse racing, and was the chairman of the board of Calder Race Track, the
single largest stockholder in Hialeah Race Track, and owner of the Tropical Park franchise, which he sold to the
Miami-Dade Country in the 1990s for more than $9 million.
He was named an honorary member of the University’s Board of Trustees in 1976.
James W. McLamore Executive Education Center
(McLamore Executive Education Center)
5250 University Drive
[11,000 sq ft.]
History
When construction of the Storer Auditorium in the School of Business complex was in its final stages, the Board
of Trustees approved going forward with the construction of a three-story addition above the auditorium to
accommodate future expansion of the School of Business.
The 48,000 of additional space was completed in August 1997, and was mad possible through the fundraising
efforts and assistance of the University’s Board of Trustees and the co-founder of Burger King Corp. Funding
was also provided by McLamore’s former Burger King Co-founder David Edgerton, and many Burger King
Franchises.
In recognition of McLamore’s achievements, and to honor his memory (he passed away a year before the building
was completed), the 11,000 sq. ft. first level of the addition was dedicated as the James W. McLamore Executive
Education Center.
Brief Donor Bio
James W. McLamore co-founded Burger King Corporation in Miami in 1951. His story is a true “Horatio
Alger” tale. Born in 1926 (the year the UM was opened) in New York, New York, he graduated from Cornell
University in 1947 with a degree in hotel administration. He began working as a cafeteria manager for the
UMCA in Wilmington, Delaware, and then was able to borrow some money to open his first restaurant in a
converted bicycle repair shop. The Colonial Inn, opened in 1950, was a 14-seat short-order grill that specialized
in serving hamburgers. McLamore moved to Miami a year later, and opened his second restaurant on Brickell
Avenue in the former 550 Building, calling it the Brickell Bridge.
Three years later, with partner David R. Edgerton, he launched a small self-service hamburger restaurant. The
restaurant posted lukewarm annual sales until McLamore introduced the Whopper in 1957, and unintentionally
ushered in a whole new era in the food service industry, credited with the invention of the “Whopper” sandwich
in 1957. When he sold the company to Pillsbury Corp. in 1967, he continued on as chairman and CEO, and later
as Chairman Emeritus, serving the company for more than 21 years.
McLamore was also devoted to his South Florida community, and active in a variety of civic and cultural
activities. In fact, he was named one of the nation’s top volunteers by the Council for Advancement and Support
of Education in 1986, and named among The Miami Herald’s Spirit of Excellence Award winners. He was
president of Fairchild Tropical Gardens, a part owner of The Miami Dolphins, United Way’s countywide
chairman, and Chairman of the Board of South Florida’s public television station, WPBT-Channel 2, where he
conceived the idea of the Nightly Business Report – the most popular syndicated show on pubic television still
today.
A true friend of the University of Miami, he served on the Board of Trustees for more than 23 years, beginning in
1973. He was a bold chairman for the University’s first five-year campaign, which exceeded all expectations and
made international news when more than $517.5 million was raised, making it one of the largest campaigns in the
history of higher education. He was elected chairman of the board of trustees in 1980, and ten years later,
Chairman Emeritus in Perpetuity. In 1990, the University awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Humanities
degree, and the Faculty Senate established the James W. McLamore Distinguished Service Award – considered
one of the University’s most esteemed honors.
He passed away on August 8, 1996, and the University held a special commemorative event in his honor.
James W. McLamore Plaza
(McLamore Plaza)
Memorial Drive Circle
History
In 1995, the University dedicated the newly renovated plaza surrounding the fountain in the center of the
Memorial Drive Circle behind the Ashe Building as the James W. McLamore Plaza. This central plaza is one of
the most recognizable symbols of the University of Miami. It was dedicated to Mr. McLamore in honor of his
distinguished service as a Trustee and supporter of the University of Miami.
McLamore passed away just a few short months after the plaza was dedicated.
Brief Donor Bio
James W. McLamore – see James W. McLamore Executive Education Center
George E. Merrick Drive
(Merrick Drive)
History
Originally Avenue Fontana and Pavia Street, George E. Merrick Drive was dedicated in the early 1960s for the
University’s founder, George E. Merrick.
Brief Donor Bio
See Solomon G. Merrick Building
Solomon G. Merrick Building
(School of Education)
5202 University Drive
l123,954 sq. ft.]
History
The first, and most historically significant, building of the University of Miami has a rich and extensive history.
Following the founding of the University in 1925, the Merrick Building’s original architecture was designed by
Phineas Paist, who also created much of the architectural design of Coral Gables.
Groundbreaking was held on January 14, 1926, and the Cornerstone was laid in a formal ceremony on February 4,
1926, and the Cornerstone was laid in a formal ceremony on February 4, 1926, with a thousand local
schoolchildren singing in the background. The building was dedicated in honor of Reverend Solomon G.
Merrick, the father of George E. Merrick, who was the founder of Coral Gables and the donor of the original 160
acres of land for the University’s Coral Gables campus as well as $5 million in cash. Construction began
immediately afterward, and the building was planned for completion by October 15 of that year.
The building was planned as a three-story, 50 x 600 ft. structure that would serve as an administration and
classroom building, with a future four-story tower addition to house the library. Construction proceeded at such
an impressive pace that the University regents sponsored free trolley tours for the public to view the progress. On
June 6, the “skeleton” of the building was complete – yet it would remain unfinished for 20 years.
On September 17, 1926, a devastating hurricane struck South Florida, razing most of the buildings, and causing
an economic devastation that would be felt for decades. On the heels of that disaster, the Florida real estate
market collapsed, the Florida depression hit, and was followed by the national Depression and the start of World
War II.
The University opened, as planned on October 15, 1926, but not in the Merrick Building. For more than 25 years,
the Anastasia Building (a converted hotel in Coral Gables) would serve as the “temporary quarters” of the young
University.
In 1948, a special fundraising campaign to complete the Merrick “skeleton” raised more than $236,000, and on
April 1, 1948, the rebuilding began. President Bowman Foster Ashe, who had joined the University just a month
after the building’s cornerstone laying, rededicated the structure as the Merrick Building in a formal ceremony on
April 29, 1948.
Brief Donor Bio
George E. Merrick, the founder of Coral Gables, donated 160 acres of prime land and $5 million in financial
support that led to the founding of the University of Miami. He also provided architectural renderings for 20
buildings for the new campus, including a main administration building he planned to construct as a memorial to
his father.
George Merrick was born in Massachusetts as the oldest of six children to Althea – a highly regarded artist and
teacher at Lebanon Valley College, and Solomon G. Merrick – a Yale-educated Congregational minister. When
their youngest child died suddenly of diphtheria, Solomon and Althea were deeply grieved, In an act of heroic
desperation to save the rest of his family from the deprivations of harsh Northern winters, Solomon cashed in his
life savings to buy 160 acres of land in the “back country west of Coconut Grove”, sight unseen, and moved his
family to the wilderness that was destined to become known as Coral Gables.
But the tropical haven they were looking for did not materialize right away. George (age 13 at the time) and his
father arrived in Miami in 1899 in the midst of a yellow fever epidemic, and were quarantined for weeks, along
with every other citizen. When they were finally able to travel to their new homestead, they found a dirt road, a
crude wooden shack, a partially cleared lot, and an unkempt grove of guava trees. George and his father worked
tirelessly to clear the land and plant grapefruit and vegetables that they would eventually sell to northern
neighbors, while Althea set out to establish the area’s first school.
By 1906, the grapefruit groves began to bear fruit, and the family was able to build a new home, decorated with
native limestone and coral colored tiles on its end gables, inspiring the name of “Coral Gables” for the Merrick
house as well as for the future city.
As the family prospered, George was spared from the fields to attend Rollins College. While there, he wrote
poems in homage to Florida’s natural landscape and prepared for a career in law. He had just been accepted into
New York Law School when his father died suddenly, and George abandoned his personal future to return to
South Florida and manage his family’s plantation.
Under George’s direction, the Coral Gables Plantation thrived, until in 1921 he owned approximately 3,000 acres
– the first step in his new dream to create a “city beautiful”. The moment was ripe with destiny. The country was
enjoying an economic boom; Florida was experiencing a land boom equivalent to the heady days of the California
Gold Rush, while the Columbian World Exposition in Chicago showcased the concept of the “city beautiful” as
the standard of design for the new century.
Merrick’s dramatic success, enthusiasm and excitement attracted others of equal mind, who worked together to
lay the foundation for Merrick’s grand vision: a master suburb, planned out to the finest detail, providing every
amenity to create an unmatched quality of life. He named it after his own home and fashioned it after the
beautiful structures he has seen during tours of Spain and Italy. When asked why, he replied simply, “Because I
like it”.
Schools were built, the Miami Coliseum was constructed, the magnificent Biltmore Hotel opened, the Grand
Canal was excavated, the University of Miami was established, hospitals and parks and waterways were
developed, and hundreds of homes were built – from fine “palazzos” to modest residences. Merrick also made
sure that the city’s social and business infrastructure was in place, such as the Coral Gables Chamber of
Commerce and the Coral Gables Woman’s Club. At the time of the City’s incorporation on April 29, 1925, Coral
Gables’ building permits amounted to more than $25 million, and the assessed valuation was more than $90
million. The development was so successful; in fact that Merrick was offered $10 million by some New York
developers – an offer he refused because his dream had just begun.
A year later, however, Merricks’ world collapsed. The Florida land boom had nearly burned itself out,
overcrowding was causing hotels to rent beds in 12-hour shifts, and a railroad embargo and a shipping lane
accident completely cut off the delivery of building supplies from the north. And on September 17, 1926, a
Category 4 hurricane with 128 mph winds razed Miami and brought South Florida to its knees.
But George Merrick refused to give up. He invested his every remaining cent in Coral Gables to help the city
overcome the disaster, The City became solvent again in record time, but Merrick himself was not so fortunate.
An extremely honorable man, he refused to declare bankruptcy, and attempted to pay back all his personal debts.
He might have succeeded, but when the Great Depression hit two-and-a-half years later, the one-two punch left
Merrick down for good. But the man who founded Coral Gables loved it with a passion that is only partially
glimpsed through the window of his poetry. Even in his poverty and despair he could not abandon his dream. He
eventually took a job as Postmaster, and it’s said that his favorite pastime was riding around and watching his city
grow.
NOTE: Other than George E. Merrick Drive, there is no marker, no plaque, no statue or other commemorative of
any kind dedicated to George Merrick.
Mary B. Merritt Panhellenic Building
(Panhellenic Building)
5200 University Drive
[27,752 sq. ft.]
History
Built in 1956 by Steward-Skinner Associates architects to house Sorority offices. It currently houses both
sororities and fraternities that have no national house on campus.
The building was named in honor of Miss Mary B. Merritt, one of the University’s original faculty members
(English department) and first Dean of Women, who had retired a year earlier. She had also been active on a
national level promoting women’s education.
Brief Donor Bio
Miss Mary B. Merritt was another original founder of the University who remains inseparably linked with the
University’s history, and who served as a Trustee from 1934-41. A native of Gainsville, Georgia, she graduated
from Brenau College and later earned her M.A. from Columbia University. She continued with post-graduate
studies at the University of Tennessee.
Merritt came to Miami in 1915 to teach English at Miami Senior High School, and quickly rose to become head
of the English department and, in 1925, dean of girls. In 1926, she accepted an appointment as an instructor in
English for the new University of Miami, and she became a founding member and president of the American
Association of University Women. In 1929, she was promoted to associate professor of English and Dean of
Women.
While she continued to teach English throughout her career with the University, she became increasingly
identified with women’s activities in the University and in the nation. She served eight years as national president
of her own sorority, Phi Mu, and was active in the National Association of Deans of Women, as well as the
National Panhellenic Congress. When she retired in 1955, the University conferred on her the honorary degree of
Doctor of Letters.
Merritt also was actively involved in establishing the University’s library, and she and Mrs. Melanie R.
Rosborough brought the first organized religious activities for students to campus. They held monthly meetings
in the Women’s Lounge in the old Anastasia Building, inviting priests, rabbis, and ministers of various religions
to participate in a lecture and question/answer session with students each month. In less than two years, the
student interest in these sessions grew to the point where full-time campus ministers were brought on board, and
each religious group established its own campus ministry soon after.
Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Judaic Studies
(Merrick Building, 1st Floor)
5202 University Drive
[9,204 sq. ft.]
History
The Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies was established in 1998 as the first research
and academic center in the United States to focus primarily on 20th and 21st century Jewish studies. The center
originally shared office space at Albert Pick Hall. After receiving a generous gift from Sue and Leonard Miller,
the University renovated a section of the Merrick Building and dedicated it as the new home of the Sue and
Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies.
The Center has been upgraded to include a research library, a multi-use media conference/classroom, several
display areas and storage facilities for the CCJS’ permanent collection, as well as offices for faculty, scholars and
staff. The new facility is also home to the Judaic Studies Program, allowing both entities to collaborate more
effectively on joint projects, teaching and research.
Brief Donor Bio
Leonard Miller was the son of Massachusetts grocers. He graduated from Harvard and moved to Miami in 1955
with his wife, Susan because one of his brothers lived here. He joined a small homebuilding company, F&R,
whose initial goal was to build better homes that would last customers a lifetime. H later teamed with Arnold
Rosen to create the Lennar Corporation, which is not the largest homebuilder in Florida and Dade County.
Lennar maintains commercial and residential income-producing properties and specializes in moderately priced
homes aimed at first time buyers, first-time move up buyers, and retirees. Mr. Miller served as President and
CEO from 1969 to 1997, when he handed the reigns over to his son, Stuart.
For twenty years, Leonard Miller served on the University’s board of trustees, including four years as Chairman,
and is credited with significantly increasing donations during his tenure. The Millers have contributed over $5
million to the University of Miami Judaic Studies program. Mr. Miller was also involved in many other local
fundraising efforts, including the South Florida Annenberg Challenge, which raises money to improve public
education in Florida. Leonard Miller died in 2002, after a short battle with cancer.
The Miller, longtime philanthropists and civic leaders, received countless awards and honors for their local
giving, including the 1994 “philanthropists of the Year” award from the Greater Miami
Chapter of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives, the Dade Community Foundation, the Donors
Forum. Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Dade County. Their lifelong devotion to
creating a better community has resulted in generous support for numerous causes in Miami, support which Mrs.
Miler has continued since her husband’s death.
Sue Miller, who initially helped her husband sell Lennar homes, began her philanthropic work with the United
Way, where she raised millions of dollars in donations. She is also the founder of Fifty Over Fifty, a group of
fifty Miami women that pay an annual membership fee of $1,000 to raise $50,000 to donate to local arts
organizations. She has served as a Board member of the Bass Museum of Art, the New World Symphony, and
the United Way of Miami-Dade County.
University of Miami/Rev. Henry F. S. Minich Canterbury House and the Chapel of the Venerable Bede
(Episcopal Campus Ministry)
(Canterbury Daycare – Unique shared space arrangement)
1150 Stanford Drive
[2,000 sq. ft.]
History
During the late 1940s, the number of students living on campus grew rapidly, and the interest in on-campus
religious representation grew apace. The University agreed to provide land on which any group large enough to
maintain a full-time student pastor might construct a chapel and social center. Canterbury House, built in 1952,
was the second of these ever to be constructed on campus.
The building was renovated by the University in 1992 in order to become a child care center. The University
made a one-time commitment of $560,000 to double the size of the facility and host approximately 130 children.
The Center operates through a joint agreement with the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida and the University
of Miami. The church provides the space and the University provides in-kind services. The University of Miami
Women’s Commission was instrumental in researching and demonstrating the need for a child-care facility on
campus.
Brief Donor Bio
The building is named for Rev. Henry F. S. Minich, who was the priest of the chapel for more than 30 years.
Max Orovitz Administration Center
(Orovitz Administration Center)
1507 Levante
[37,023 sq. ft.]
History
Built in 1970 for generic storage and facilities operations, this building was renovated in 1976 by architect Schott
B. Arnold to house the University’s “backstage” administrative units such as payroll, human resources, etc.
The building was renovated again in 1987 by Perez-Vichot AIA architects, and dedicated in honor of the late Max
Orovitz. The building now serves as the University’s main administration building for personnel services and
related divisions.
Brief Donor Bio
Max Orovitz was a member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees from 1955 until his death in 1979. He
also served as chair of the executive committee from 1963-78.
Max Orovitz was a local Miami resident who contributed substantially to the growth and development of the
University through his philanthropic and administrative leadership. His donations helped build the library of the
newly established Human Relations Department in the 1940s, and he was instrumental in the founding of the
School of Medicine. A member of Temple Israel of Greater Miami, he also worked to ensure that Jewish students
were not excluded from medical studies and local hospital internships.
Max Orovitz is perhaps most well known as the founder of Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach, which was
established as a hospital that would not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, color, or ability to pay.
Ironically, the hospital was created in a renovated hotel, The Nautilus that had been built by Carl Fisher as a
restricted hotel. Orovitz was also instrumental in the establishment of Israel and traveled to Europe frequently
after World War II to help “displaced persons”.
During the early years of the University, when there were no funds to buy books or periodicals for the library,
many donors came forward with in-kin gifts. Orovitz was one of the most generous, contributing more than 500
volumes for the new Human Relations department.
Orovitz’ son, Michael, graduated from the University of Miami in 1964, and went on to become chairman of the
board of Mount Sinai Hospital after his father’s death.
Orovitz’ daughter, Norma, graduated from the University of Miami in 1975 and became the editor of the Jewish
Floridian newspaper.
Lake Osceola
History
Following World War II, the swell of returning GI’s created an urgent need for the University to acquire new
space. Among these was Block 84, Coral Gables Riviera Section Part 4, which included University Lake.
Originally deeded to the University by George Merrick, the University had to pay $400.71 to cover delinquent
taxes, and an additional $100 to clear all outstanding liens and gain title to the property.
The small natural lake was dredged to become a man-made lake in 1947.
The lake was named Lake Osceola in a secret ceremony by Iron Arrow, an honorary men’s fraternity founded by
President Bowman Foster Ashe in 1926. Iron Arrow’s rituals are based on Seminole Indian traditions, and
therefore the lake was named Osceola in honor of one of the Seminole Tribe’s most renowned and respected
chiefs.
Jorge M. Perez Architecture Center
(Address not yet available)
[8,600 sq. ft.]
History
Thanks to a donation of $1.25 million by UM trustee and local developer Jorge M. Perez, a new building is being
constructed that will replace the three buildings on Dickinson Drive that houses the School of Architecture.
The new Architecture Center consists of an 8,600-square-foot building designed by internationally recognized
architect and urbanist Leon Krier. The building houses a lecture hall with state-of-the-art telecommunications
equipment for daily teaching, and accommodates the School’s visiting lecturers’ program that brings celebrated
architects to Miami for public presentations. In addition, the building includes a gallery for exhibitions of interest
to students, faculty and others in the community, and a classroom with multimedia capabilities.
Another key gift on behalf of the Architecture Center – and the impetus for the new building – came from School
of Architecture alumnus Stanley Glasgow. Another significant gift on her behalf of the Center comes from the
Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Foundation.
Brief Donor Bio
Jorge M. Perez, the son of Cuban parents, grew up in Buenos Aires, where his father headed a U.S. company.
When his grandfather died, his family moved to Cuba so his father could claim his inheritance and start his own
business. He came to the United States in 1968 as a teenager to attend C.W. Post College in Long Island. He
then graduated from Long Island University with a B.A. in Economics, and later received a Master of Urban
Planning degree from the University of Michigan.
Mr. Perez is the founder and CEO of the Related Group of Florida, a Miami-based real estate development
company, considered to be the largest apartment developer in Florida. In recent years, the company has expanded
to include condominium sale and development, becoming a significant second-home provider in Miami-Dade,
Broward and Palm Beach counties. Mr. Perez is also an officer in over 50 active corporations, all real-estate
related.
A UM Trustee and member of the School of Architecture Visiting Committee, Mr. Perez became involved with
the University after following the work of the School of Architecture, which he admired, particularly because of
its promotion of New Urbanism ideals. He also cites the large number of UM School of Architecture graduates in
his company as a reason for supporting the University.
Albert Pick Hall
(School of International Studies)
1531 Brescia Avenue
[11,706 sq. ft.]
History
Charlton W. Tebeau’s book, The University of Miami: A Golden Anniversary History, states that in 1975, Albert
Pick, Jr., donated $200,000 for the renovation of a former fraternity house on Brescia Avenue to become the new
home of the Graduate School of International Studies. Pick’s donation also included the commissioning of a
distinctive sculpture that he dedicated to his wife, Corinne Pick, which was placed at the building’s entrance. The
statue, titled “Unity”, was created by sculptor Virginio Ferrari.
The building had originally been constructed in 1961 as the home of Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity, then in early
19702 became the home of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. When the fraternity membership eventually dropped
off, the ownership reverted to the University, and it was slated to becoming the new home for the Center for
Advanced International studies (CAIS), which had been floating from temporary quarters since its founding in
1964.
The Center had been established in 1964, and included both teaching and research faculty. It also published the
Journal of Inter-American Studies and World Affairs (sic), which had been initiated at the University of Florida in
1958. The Center also sponsored the Cuban Economic Research Project begun in 1961 by Dr. James C. Vadakin,
then chair of the Economics Department. Later, other areas of international studies were added – from Russia and
the Middle East to China and Latin America – and the Center grew to become the Graduate School of
International Studies. The School broadened its scope to add undergraduates to its curriculum in 1998 and
became the School of International Studies.
Brief Donor Bio
Three generations of Pick’s have been involved with the University of Miami – Albert and Florence Pick, Albert
Pick Jr. and his wife Corrine Frada Pick, and Albert Pick III.
Albert Pick Sr. was a hotelier from Chicago who also operated the Pick Hotella in Bal Harbour in Miami Beach.
His wife, Florence was a musician (type unknown). His donation of $100,000 in 1954 to create the Arnold Volpe
Building) to the School of Music was the first major gift ever to the school. Files indicate that he also donated
generously prior to 1944, but his gifts were marked anonymous, as most gifts of that time were, and no record
could be found indicating his total giving.
Albert Pick Jr. was chairman of the Chicago Corporation. His wife, Corrine, was a pianist.
Albert Pick III became a vice president (stock broker) for the Chicago Corporation in 1992. That’s where the
file ends. Pick III, an alumnus of Michigan State, expressed no interest in supporting the University of Miami,
however, in a meeting with UM’s Senior Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations – Arthur Wasserman –
in April 1992, he said that he did not object to the University’s long-range plan of razing the Pick Music Library
and moving the contents to the Richter Library, with the stipulation that some recognition of the Pick family be
retained in the facility replacing the Pick Music Library.
Albert Pick Hall is named for Albert Pick Jr., while the Albert P. Pick Music Library was named for Albert Pick
Sr.
Albert Pick Music Library
(Pick Music Library)
5501 San Amaro Drive
[3,739 sq. ft.]
History
The Albert Pick Music Library was created in 1957 as the result of a $100,000 gift from the Alfred Pick
Foundation. The Foundation at that time was headed by Albert Pick Jr., who asked that the building be named for
his late father, a long-time supporter of the University of Miami. The Albert Pick Music Library was dedicated
on October 23, 1957.
In his acknowledgement letter to Albert Pick, Jr., President Bowman Foster Ashe said the gift was “the first major
gift that has ever been made in appreciation of and encouragement to the musical side of the University”.
An addition to the building was built March 26, 1970 – The Handleman Institute for Recorded Sound.
In 1983, the Albert Pick Foundation sent a second gift of $10,000, and a letter saying that this would be the final
gift ever from both the Albert Pick Jr. Fund as well as the Albert Pick Foundation.
Brief Donor Bio
See Albert Pick Hall
President’s Home
(President’s Home)
8565 Old Cutler Road
[11,000-16,000 sq ft.]
History
The President’s Home is the former estate of Malcolm and Julia Matheson, who donated the property to the
University in 1974. According to records in the University’s Real Estate Office, the value of the property at the
time was $1 million and the value of the land was considered to be $600,000.
Prior to this residence, the first three University of Miami presidents had resided at 2475 South Bayshore Drive,
in an estate donated by William T. Grant, the chairman of the board of the W.T. Grant Company Stores, which
featured four acres of an elaborately planted experimental garden.
The Matheson residence is sited on 4.56 acres along historic Old Cutler Road. It was built in 1964 by architect
Robert Fitch Smith, FAIA, and includes a guest house and boat dock. In 1983, the house was renovated by
University of Miami Facilities staff and designers, and expanded to include a new deck, patio and veranda. The
total square footage of the residence is somewhat controversial, as different authorities have arrived at different
totals, between 11,000 to 16,000 square feet. The appraised value of the home and property on June 16, 2000 was
$4,750,000.
Brief Donor Bio
Malcom Matheson is a scion of the distinguished Matheson family – one of the most important pioneer families
in the history of South Florida. His father was William John (“W.J.”) Matheson, and his grandfather was
Finlay Matheson. His wife was Julia Culbertson, and his brother was Hugh Merritt Matheson, the former
mayor of Coconut Grove. Malcom’s Matheson family, however, made their permanent home in Alexandria,
Virginia, but maintained a winter home at 8565 Old Cutler Road in Coconut Grove.
Finlay was originally from Scotland, but in 1864 the family moved to Georgetown, British Guyana, where they
managed a sugar plantation. WJ Matheson purchased 1,700 acres of land on Key Biscayne in 1903. A staunch
environmentalist, in 1930, WJ gave Dade County its first park: Matheson Hammock. In 1940, after his death,
WJ’s children donated 900 acres of Key Biscayne land to establish Crandon Park.
In a recent conversation, the family spokesman indicated that there would be “some unhappiness within the
family” over a possible change of UM’s use of the President’s home.
NOTE: The Matheson family history is long and complex. For more information, please see Development
Research files.
Otto G. Richter Library of the University of Miami
(Richter Library)
1300 Memorial Drive
[201,599 sq. ft.]
History
The University of Miami library was begun in 1926 with a modest donation of 250 books, but no facility to house
the books would exist for more than 30 years. In fact, file memos indicate that the lack of a library building
began to be “quite a stigma” for the University.
Planning for a library building was undertaken in 1955 by President Jay F.W. Pearson who asked architects
Watson & Deutschman to prepare some plans for the proposed 192,000 square foot general library. However,
construction did not begin until 1959, when the University received an $8.7 million gift from the estate of Otto G.
Richter, who passed away that year. In 1960, the trustees designated $2 million of that bequest to build a new
library building. In addition, an earlier gift received from George Brockway in 1943 enabled construction of the
initial 38,000 square feet to begin.
Mr. Richter’s will did not specify that the building be named for him; the dedication of the library in Richter’s
honor came at the urging of Thomas Reese, vice president of Financial Research for UM and co-executor of
Richter’s estate. The building was officially dedicated in June 1962.
The Board of Trustees unanimously adopted a resolution which stated, in part: “… as a lasting memorial to Mr.
Richter…the proposed library building shall be known as “The Otto G. Richter Library of the University of
Miami”. Further resolved, that the carrying out of the aforesaid provision of this resolution shall not preclude the
University from seeking and accepting memorial gifts from other benefactors of the proposed library. However, a
1996 note to the file indicates that “renaming the library is risky business…not only do the alums who felt some
loyalty to Richter feel estranged, but it is rather off-putting to potential “name” donors, who wonder how long we
will wait after their corpse and corpus have been disbursed to rename whatever was [named] for them.
…Comparing Richter’s nearly $9 million gift to 1996 dollars would be equivalent to $43.9 million.
Massive renovations were begun in 1999, thanks to a leading gift of $1.5 million from the Dauers. The $16
million renovation project will focus on the three-story wing of the library, and is scheduled for completion in
May 2002. The renovated facility will include a 150-workstation Information Commons, group study rooms,
expanded training and multimedia facilities for teaching faculty and staff about electronic resources, enhanced
access for disabled patrons, a refurbished staff elevator. The Dauer Clock Tower will provide a new main interior
stairwell and an entirely new façade for the building.
Brief Donor Bio
Otto G. Richter was born in 1892 in a small town in Pennsylvania. His father was a recent immigrant from
Germany, and operated a hotel. Richter worked his way through college as a night bookkeeper and chief
accountant at a hotel in Pittsburgh. He graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology with a degree in
electrical engineering; however his first job was as an accountant at one of the largest accounting firms in
Pittsburgh, where, by the age of 24, he had become a full partner. Two years later, he established his own
accounting firm, Richter & Company, in Pittsburgh, and boasted some of the largest industrial, legal and
commercial firms in the city. He was authorized to practice before the U.S. Treasury Department and was one of
a select group that had the responsibility for audits of the U.S. mints.
In 1938, for health reasons, Richter retired (he was only 45) and moved to Miami, where he became involved in
various organizations throughout the community as a volunteer and philanthropist. During the first part of World
War II, Richter was also a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and allowed the use of his yacht, Millicent III,
for rescue missions.
In 1951, Richter gave the University his first gift: $12,000 to establish the Richter Loan and Scholarship Fund,
and subsequent gifts brought the total to more than $100,000.
Richter became an ardent admirer and supporter of the University of Miami, feeling that it, like himself, “was a
product of free enterprise and an example of progress made by pulling itself up by its bootstraps”.
Richter’s only child, Jane Richter Hoad, was one of the first graduates of the School of Law.
For more information – see Dr. Maxwell and Reva B. Dauer Clock Tower
Alex Rodriguez Park
(Mark Light Baseball Stadium)
6201 San Amaro Drive (Hurricane Drive)
[35,000 sq. ft.]
History
Built in 1977, the 5,000-seat stadium is home to University of Miami Hurricane Baseball. (see entry for Mark
Light Field)
In 2002, Texas Rangers All-Star shortstop and Miami resident Alex Rodriguez made a $3.9 million contribution
to the University to create a youth scholarship fund, as well as kick off a stadium renovation campaign for the
baseball team. To honor him, the entire baseball facility was renamed Alex Rodriguez Park. The actual field
retained the Mark Light name, but is now known as Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park.
The entire facility includes the playing field, as well as the concession area, all seats and the press box.
Rodriguez’ gift will fund additions and renovations, including a planned 16,000 square foot addition with luxury
sky boxes and increased grandstand seating. Also planned is an expansion of the administrative unit in the
stadium, the Frazier Building, which houses coaches’ offices, training and locker rooms. All renovations are
expected to be completed in 2006.
Brief Donor Bio
Alex Rodriguez grew up in Miami as an avid baseball player and fan; he remembers sneaking into Mark Light
Stadium as a young boy to watch games. Rodriguez accepted a baseball scholarship from the University in 1993
but signed with the Seattle Mariners after the team selected him No. 1 in the draft. He is a seven-time Major
League Baseball All-Star. Following the 2000 season, Rodriguez signed as a free agent with the Texas Rangers,
where he currently plays shortstop.
In 2004, Rodriguez was appointed to the University’s Board of Trustees. He is also a national spokesperson for
the Boys and Girls Club of America. His $3.9 million gift is the largest ever made to the University’s baseball
program.
Ryder Convocation Center
(Ryder Convocation Center)
1 Dauer Drive
[200,000 sq. ft.]
History
Located on a tract of land on the corner of Walsh Avenue and Dickinson Drive where once run-down student
apartments stood, the Ryder Convocation center was planned as a 200,000 square foot, 7,000-seat convocation
center and home of the Hurricane men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Groundbreaking was held in the spring of 2001. The $48 million in construction costs were funded through a
variety of private donations who provided the leading gifts which gave the impetus for fundraising success,
including Ryder System Inc. (with a gift of $9 million in 1995), and the family of Edward Dauer (Edward and
Joanne Dauer, Roger and Gail Dauer, and their late mother, Reva Dauer), whose gift of $2 million in 1998.
The Ryder gift was one of the ten largest gifts in University of Miami history. The Dauer gift was also the largest
cash gift to the University by an alumnus to date. As a result, the road leading up to the new facility was named
Dauer Drive.
The building has been called the crowning jewel of President Edward T. Foote’s leadership, and was the last of
more than 40 buildings that were completed during his tenure.
Brief Donor Bios
For Dauers – see Dr. Maxwell and Reva B. Dauer Clock Tower
Ryder System is a transportation services conglomerate based in Miami, with major interests in truck leasing and
rental, aviation turbine engine maintenance and repair, sales and distribution of aircraft parts and components, and
public transit management. The company was ranked 20th among the Fortune Service 500. In addition to the
generously supporting diverse areas at the University of Miami, Ryder System has been an active contributor
throughout the South Florida community, including a multimillion dollar leadership gift to the We Will Rebuild
campaign following the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. University of Miami President Edward T.
Foote and UM Trustee James W. McLamore served on Ryder’s Board of Directors.
M. Anthony Burns, the chairman and CEO of Ryder System, has been a University of Miami Trustee since 1984,
and is a former member of the Citizens Board. Originally from Las Vegas, he graduated with a B.S. from
Brigham Young University, and an MBA from the University of California-Berkeley.
Neil Schiff Tennis Center
(Schiff Tennis Center)
5801 San Amaro Drive (Hurricane Drive)
[11,464 sq. ft.]
History
Construction of a university tennis center was among the last wishes of former UM Trustee Neil Schiff. One of
the last messages he left on his tape recorder, before his untimely death in 1985, was “see [men’s tennis coach]
John Hammill about building a tennis center.”
On Sunday, November 8, 1987, Schiff’s dream of a state-of-the-art tennis center at UM was fulfilled. University
of Miami Trustees Sherwood Weiser and Charles Cobb led the fundraising campaign, and, with the help of
Schiff’s wife, Barbara, a University of Miami alumna (B.A. 1955), raised approximately $1 million. Gifts of
$50,000 each or more were received by UM Trustees James McLamore, Chuck Cobb, Fred Berens, Leonard
Miller, Peter Storer and Sherwood Weiser.
The complex consists of 14 tennis courts, a stadium with seating for more than 1,000 people, and an elevated
spectator walkway. The former tennis house was also remodeled, and a second floor VIP lounge was added.
The entrance to the center is a landscaped plaza that features a bust of Neil Schiff, sculpted by Schiff’s friend,
architect Kenneth Treister.
Brief Donor Bio
Neil Schiff was a builder and developer who graduated from the UM in 1948 and had “a lifelong affair with the
University”. In addition to serving as vice chairman of the Board of Trustees, Schiff chaired the Board’s
executive committee and served on ten trustee committees. He founded and was president of Neil Schiff
Construction, which earned the highest FHA quality rating in Dade County. He was also a member of the Dade
County Contractors’ Examining Board and the Dade County Planning Advisory Board.
He also was instrumental in University fundraising efforts, and chaired the $135 million Mid-Century Campaign
during the 1970s, and a leading member of the team heading the $500 Million “Campaign for The University”
during the early 1980s. For his efforts, he was the 1981 recipient of the Champion of Higher Education in Florida
award. He was also a member and former president of the University of Miami Citizens Board, 1964-69, and
director of the UM Alumni Association.
Schiff was also an avid tennis player himself.
M. Christine Schwartz Center for Nursing Education – funded but not yet built
(School of Nursing)
Future site: On the lawn between Memorial and Ashe Buildings
History
In November 1999, the Theodore G. Schwartz Family Foundation made a leading gift of $5 million to create a
new building for the School of Nursing on the Coral Gables Campus. Theodore (Ted) Schwartz made the
presentation on the occasion of his 20th wedding anniversary, and dedicated the gift in honor of his wife, Christine
Schwartz, a nurse and nurse educator. In recognition of their gift, the building will be named “The M. Christine
Schwartz Center for Nursing Education.”
The Schwartz family learned of the campaign to build a new nursing school building while touring the campus
prior to their son’s enrollment.
The University first established a program in nursing in 1949 as a division of the College of Arts and Sciences. In
1968, it was transferred to the School of Medicine on the University’s Medical Campus and designated a School
of Nursing, offering a four-year baccalaureate course.
In the early 1980s, the School moved back to the Coral Gables Campus, and was housed in a former fraternity
house (1540 Corniche). In 1987, the School moved back to the Medical Campus and was housed in the Royce
Building (no longer exists). In 1994, the School returned to the Coral Gables Campus, and was again housed in a
renovated fraternity house (5801 Red Road) that was built in 1957.
Despite any hardships related to its physical facilities, the School of Nursing has thrived, and has become a strong
and vibrant program in the University.
Brief Donor Bios
Christine (Chris) Schwartz first developed her interest in nursing during high school, when she worked as a
candystriper at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Joliet, Illinois. She went on to earn an M.S. in Health Education from the
University of Illinois and another M.S. at Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago as a floating RN in the emergency
room, surgical intensive care, and on medical floors. From 1971 to 1980, she served on the faculty of the College
of Nursing at Loyola University in Chicago. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor
Society.
Theodore (Ted) Schwartz is a college dropout who is ranked 106 among the Forbes 400 richest people in
America. He is the founder of APAC (All People are Customers) Teleservices, Inc. – an outsource
communications firm that handles 200 million customer service and phone calls per year to major clients
including Discover Card and UPS.
Schwartz began his career selling time for a tiny Colorado radio station, and quickly realized the value of
telemarketing. He founded Radio America in Chicago in 1973, securing his first contract with Xerox cold-calling
for subscriptions to the company’s Weekly Reader. He continued to operate the firm until he sold it in 1991 in
order to found APAC Teleservices, Inc. which is dedicated to handling toll-free customer service calls for large
corporations. APAC went public in 1995, and Schwartz and his family own 29.5 million shares (as of January,
1999).
George A. Smathers Student Wellness Center
(Smathers Wellness Center)
1241 Dickinson Drive
[149,000 sq. ft.]
History
In the short pause between the first and second quarters of the 1992 homecoming football game against Temple
University in the Orange Bowl, former U.S. Senator George A. Smathers announced a gift of $10 million to
create a student wellness and recreation center.
Dedicated in February 1996, the 149,000 square foot center ultimately cost $13.8 million. It includes indoor and
outdoor sports facilities, aerobic exercise and weight training rooms, a lap pool, indoor track, computer resource
laboratory, a wellness center, classrooms, an instructional kitchen, and a fitness area.
The building was constructed on the site of the former William A. Lane Campus Sports and Recreation Center,
and the largest gymnasium in the new building is dedicated to William A. Lane.
Brief Donor Bio
George A. Smathers represented Florida in Washington DC for 22 years as both a representative and a senator.
He was a freshman congressman with John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, and became a friend to both men. He
retired from the Senate in 1969.
Smathers then became a senior partner of Smathers, Hickey & Smathers, and Of Counsel to Kelley, Drye &
Warren. Born in New Jersey, he earned his bachelor’s and L.L.B. degrees from the University of Florida.
Smathers was presented with an Order of Merit Award – the University’s highest honor – by President Edward T.
Foote II at the football game where his donation was announced.
Smathers’ brother, Frank Smathers, Jr., is a University of Miami alumnus and former member of the UM Board
of Trustees, as well as a generous supporter of the University – in fact, the second and third largest donor in the
University’s history (Four Fillies Farm and The Smathers Endowment in Tropical Biology).
Stanford Drive
(Stanford Drive)
History
Stanford Drive is located at the heart of the University, providing a main public entrance from U.S. 1 and Ponce
de Leon Boulevard. It was named in honor of President Henry King Stanford upon his retirement in 1980.
Henry King Stanford Residential College
(Stanford Residential College)
1239 Dickinson Drive
[186,340 total sq. ft.]
History
Formerly known as the 960 Buildings (because each building could originally house 960 students), the Walsh and
Rosborough student dormitory towers were constructed in 1967. In January 1988, after three years of extensive
renovations the towers were rededicated as the Henry King Stanford Residential College – the second of six
residential colleges to be created on the Coral Gables Campus. It was named for the University’s third president.
Brief Donor Bios
Henry King Stanford was the president of the University of Miami from 1962-1981, and was well known for
both his exuberant leadership as well as his personal commitment to students. He breakfasted with student groups
every two weeks, and frequently invited student leaders to his home for dinner to dialog. He often visited the
residence halls to talk with students or join them for lunch on the spur of the moment.
The former Georgia native brought to the University of Miami a combination of skills and talents that included a
bachelor’s degree from Emory University, a master’s degree in government from the University of Denver, where
he was an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow, and a doctorate in political science and public administration from
New York University. He had been president of three colleges in Georgia prior to joining UM, and had traveled
and studied in Germany and Turkey.
He led the University through the national turbulence of the 1960s, and guided it through the largest era of growth
and expansion in the University’s history. New buildings sprung up as quickly as new programs and degrees.
Four 12-story residence halls were among the dozens of new buildings, and reflected the University’s growing
enrollment of out-of-state students.
To prevent the kind of disruptive and violent demonstrations such as the tragedy at Kent State, he orchestrated
larger roles for students and faculty in university governance and allowed all a greater freedom of choice.
Minority rights and representation at all levels of University life also became characteristic of the Stanford
presidency. He initiated the tradition of dinners for foreign students at his home, and encouraged diversity
throughout the University.
Stanford also led the University through the difficult era of the 1970s, when the entire nation was feeling the
effects of prolonged inflation throughout the nation, and a general discrediting of higher education institutions in
general, since, during a time when jobs were scarce, a college degree was no longer an automatic assurance of a
successful career and a secure future. It was during this time that the University’s former post-was nickname of
“Sun Tan U” became a bitter derogatory designation that would linger for decades.
However, Stanford’s legendary strength of character and buoyant spirit, combined with his visionary leadership,
brought the University out of turmoil and onto a stable plateau from which the next president, Edward T. Foote II,
would lead it to new heights.
Mrs. Melanie R. Rosborough joined the University of Miami as an instructor of German in 1927, and stayed
with the University for more than 41 years. A graduate of Hunter College in 1920, magna cum laude, she took
first place in mathematics and membership in Phi Beta Kappa. She went on to earn her M.A. from Columbia
University in mathematics. In 1923, she married William B. Rosborough, who was the Florida representative of a
prominent New York real estate firm. The young couple bought the eighth home constructed by Coral Gables
Corporation and were the first to live in the new area that was not yet a city.
When the University was formed in 1925, Mrs. Rosborough applied as a professor of mathematics. But the
position was given to a man, Warren B. Longnecker. She was instead invited to teach German, her native
language. During the war years, however, she was allowed to teach mathematics. In 1930, University of Miami
President Bowman Foster Ashe appointed her to a select committee responsible for raising funds and buying
books for the University’s library.
Rosborough became well-known for her innovative teaching style, and organized the first German Club,
presented German plays and films. She was named Outstanding Teacher in 1966, and she also served as vice
president of the South Atlantic Region of the American Association of University Women, and six years as the
organization’s national president, whereby she helped secure the accreditation of the University of Miami. In
1963 she became the first woman president of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association. When she
retired in 1968, one of the 960 Towers was named in her honor.
Judge William E. Walsh, a contemporary of, and the personal attorney for, William Jennings Bryan, was one of
the primary founders of the University of Miami. Walsh organized a provisional board of regents which applied
for and received the University’s Charter in 1925. He continued to serve on the University’s Board of Trustees
until 1929.
In 1924, a letter by Walsh was published in The Miami Herald, urging the creation of “an outdoor university with
nationally known teachers….planned on so colossal a scale as to take on the proportions of a great park and
challenge the attention of America.” He predicted that the University would increase community stability and
become a “Pan American” institution.
Walsh was originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a graduate of Pittsburgh Law School. He practiced law
in his hometown from 1908-21, then moved his family to Miami to help improve the health of his young son. He
became the Municipal Judge of Miami Beach in 1923 and served until 1935. He also had his own law practice:
Walsh, Beckham and Ellis, on the 10th floor of the Olympia Building on Flagler Street in downtown Miami. This
is significantly because he used the offices in the rear of his suite as the meeting place for the University’s
organizers and founders.
Walsh remained actively involved and interested in the University until his death in 1968, however he never held
any formal position with the University’s administration. He was awarded the honorary degree Doctor of Laws in
1956, and the Gold Cross of the Order of Merit in 1964. One of the 960 Towers, recently completed, was named
in his honor after his death in 1968.
Storer Auditorium
(Storer Auditorium)
5250 University Drive (School of Business Complex)
[81,000 total sq. ft.]
History
The Storer Auditorium, a 300-seat, state-of-the-art facility located in the school of Business complex, was made
possible in 1995 through the generosity of the George B. Storer Foundation, Peter Storer and Virginia Storer –
both alumni of the School of Business – with total gifts of $1.6 million. The building was designed by BermelloAjamil & Partners.
Incorporated into the building’s design, was an outdoor plaza (See Patrick J. Cesarano Plaza) that established a
new University Drive entrance to the School of Business.
While the building was in its final stages, the Board of Trustees approved going forward with the construction of
a three-story addition above the auditorium to accommodate future expansion of the School of Business. The
48,000 of additional space was completed in August 1997, and was made possible through the fundraising efforts
and assistance of James McLamore – the former chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees and the cofounder of Burger King Corp. IN recognition of his efforts and achievements, the 11,000 sq. ft. first level of the
addition was dedicated as the James W. McLamore Executive Education Center.
In May 1998, the Board of Trustees gave final approval for the build out of the fourth and fifth floors of the new
addition to house the Graduate School of Business. The 22,000 sq. ft. addition was completed and dedicated in
1999, and opened in September 1999.
Brief Donor Bios
George B. Storer – Served as a University of Miami Trustee from 1960-69, and served as Trustee Emeritus from
1969 until his death in 1975. He was the founder of Storer Communications Inc., in 1927. Originally an oil
company that owned several radio stations, Storer grew into a billion dollar communications business and the fifth
largest cable system in the nation (as of 1995). The New York firm of Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co purchased
the company in 1985 in a leveraged buyout.
Peter Storer is the son of George B. Storer and president of the George B. Storer Foundation, Inc. He worked for
Storer Communications for more than 40 years, eventually becoming chairman and CEO. He retired in 1986. A
University of Miami alumnus (BBA 1951), Peter Storer was also a member of the Board of Trustees from 1977 to
1991, when he was named Trustee Emeritus. His wife, Virginia Storer, is also an alumna of the University (BBA
1951).
James W. McLamore – See James W. McLamore Executive Education Center
Elsa and William Stubblefield Classroom Building
(Stubblefield Classroom Building)
5250 University Drive
History
The Elsa and William Stubblefield Classroom Building was built by Bermello-Ajamil & Partners, and was
dedicated in 1980. The building was funded through a bequest from the Stubblefield Estate, with additional
funding from George W. Jenkins, the founder of Publix Supermarkets, who financed the construction of the
adjacent Jenkins Building.
William Stubblefield was a member of the Board of Trustees for the University from 1957-63, and had, during
that time, contributed more than $54,000 to the University in various areas, especially to the library fund. In his
will, he designated the University of Miami as his beneficiary, but only after the death of his wife, Elsa.
Mrs. Stubblefield maintained his giving tradition, primarily supporting the School of Business Administration
Building Fund. It was her wish to name a significant structure at the University in honor of her husband, but, on
her own, she did not have enough funds. However, she made an additional bequest to the University, and, in
1975, the Board of Trustees approved that a “business administration building” could be named in her and her
husband’s honor. Mrs. Stubblefield died just a few months later, and the total Stubblefield estate gift to the
University amounted to approximately $540,000.
Brief Donor Bio
George Jenkins – See George W. Jenkins Administration Building
William Stubblefield was an entrepreneur from Illinois who made his fortune in oil and gas leases and other
investments. When he retired to Miami Beach, he became an ardent supporter of the University, donating
everything from a color television set to washing machines, even stock in Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast
Railway. He was a University of Miami Trustee for many years and a good friend of former University of Miami
President Henry King Stanford, who said that “always had the University’s interest at heart and assisted the
University greatly during its difficult financial years.”
Patricia and Harold Toppel Career Planning and Placement Center
(Toppel Career Center)
1306 Stanford Drive
History
Established on the site of the former student bowling alley in the student union, the Patricia and Harold Toppel
Career Planning and Placement Center were dedicated on Monday, October 16, 1995. Renovations cost
approximately $1 million. The Toppels donated $500,000.
Brief Donor Bios
Patricia Toppel (B.Ed. 1958, M.Ed. 1959) served the University of Miami as an Alumni Trustee since 1994. She
was a charter member of the President’s Council, and founding member and chair of the Boca Raton Cornerstone
Campaign Committee. Her professional career is primarily in real estate, as a General Partner with Harold in
Toppel Partners, whose interests include rental apartments, venture capital and equity investments.
Harold Toppel is the retired founder and chairman emeritus of Pueblo International, Inc., a major food retailer,
and the parent company of Xtra Food Stores, of which he is the retired Chairman of the Board and CEO. He is
also a board member for Sports Authority and Pollo Tropical. He helped introduce School of Business Dean Paul
Sugrue to the South Florida community.
The Toppels were named University of Miami Grand Founders in 1993. Their philanthropy to the community
extends to the Miami Jewish Home for the Aged. Mount Sinai Medical Center, and Miami Children’s Hospital.
Arthur A. Ungar Computing Center
(Ungar Computer Center)
1365 Memorial Drive
[58,345 sq. ft.]
History
The Arthur A. Ungar Computing Center was one of many buildings that the University constructed in the
booming growth years of the 1960s. The building was completed in 1965, shortly after the death of Arthur A.
Ungar, who had been a member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees for nearly 30 years, and who had
been instrumental in leading the University during its formative years. The Arthur A. Ungar Computing Center
was named in his honor.
Brief Donor Bio
Arthur A. Ungar was a member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees from 1937 to 1965. He was also
one of the leading organizers of the first University of Miami Athletic Association, which met for the first time on
September 15, 1931. He was also a member of committee appointed by the Board of Regents to help the
University work out a compromise with its creditors when it filed a “voluntary petition in bankruptcy” in 1932,
due to the combined effects of the 1926 hurricane and the Depression.
Arnold Volpe Music Building
(Volpe Classroom Building)
5501 San Amaro
[11,892 sq. ft.]
History
In 1954, Albert Pick provided $100,000 and Estelle August donated $10,000 to help construct the Arnold Volpe
Music Building.
Arnold Volpe, the first conductor of the University of Miami Symphony, had died in 1940 as the result of
becoming chilled during rehearsals for a program to present Joseph Szigeti as soloist. Volpe later developed
pneumonia.
A memorial fundraising drive was also held in 1954, and these funds (amount unknown) combined with the
donors’ contributions, enabled the building to be constructed. Today it is known as the Volpe Classroom
Building.
Brief Donor Bio
Arnold David Volpe, originally from Lithuania, had studied at the renowned St. Petersburg Conservatory with
Leopold Auer. He came to Miami in 1926 at the bidding of President Ashe and Miss Bertha Foster, and became
the first conductor for the University of Miami Symphony. He previously had been working in New York, giving
lessons and developing the first orchestra for student training in the nation – the Young Men’s Symphony
Orchestra – in 1902. Two years later, he organized the Volpe Symphony – the first orchestra of young
professional players, which endured for ten years. In 1918, Volpe directed the first of a series of summer concerts
in Lewisohn Stadium in New York City, and later worked with the Washington, C. Opera among others.
Despite the destruction of the 1926 hurricane, Volpe persevered in the creation of an orchestra, and gathered 39
players and presented the symphony’s first concert on March 6, 1927 in the Anastasia Building Auditorium. The
next year, there were 54 musicians in the symphony, and programs were offered throughout the community as
well as on campus.
During the early 1930’s, when the Depression was having a strong economic impact in the University, the
President asked Volpe and his wife, Marie, to take a leave of absence. They spent three years in Kansas City,
where they established the Kansas City Orchestra. Meanwhile, the university faculty continued to recruit
musicians for the orchestra, and the Volpes returned to the UM in 1934. Marie became the orchestra’s business
manager, while Arnold initiated the symphony’s first subscription concert series, gaining 45 members in the first
year. By 1940, the number had grown to 994.
See Also Albert Pick Hall and Albert P. Pick Music Library
Marta and Austin Weeks Music Library and Technology Center
[28,000 sq. ft.]
History
Thanks to an $8 million gift from Austin and Marta Weeks, the School of Music is building a new high-tech
28,000-square foot, two-story facility in 2004. It includes a 15,300-square-foot music library and a 5,200-square
foot advanced technology center, complete with six computer-based laboratories. The Music Library is home to
collections of books, scores, recordings, special collections and reference works, as well as extensive computer
facilities, audio and video playback equipment, study areas and specialized spaces. The Technology Center
includes several music engineering labs that allow students to write software programs and use high-level
applications that are essential to the production of recordings.
Previously, the School of Music’s library and recording labs were spread out in various buildings, including the
Volpe Building and the Richter Library. The new building brings together all of the music library’s holdings and
its media labs, while complementing other School of Music facilities, such as the Gusman Concert Hall.
Brief Donor Bio
Marta and L. Austin Weeks share a history that dates back to 1930’s Argentina, where their parents’ families –
The Weeks and the Suttons – began a lifelong friendship. But it wasn’t until 1950, when Austin went to work for
Mobil Oil that he and Marta met. They married the following year. Marta, Austin and their children came to
Miami in 1967 during his employment as a geological oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). In time, Austin began his own consulting business, became involved with Weeks
Petroleum Ltd., a Bermuda-based company founded by his father, and has since retired.
Reverend Marta Weeks received her early education in Utah and Venezuela. After graduating from high school
in Salt Lake City, she went on to Beloit College in Wisconsin, then to Stanford University where she earned a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. After completing a three-year Masters Program at the Episcopal
Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, Mrs. Weeks became an ordained Episcopal priest. Since then her
ministry has taken her to Paris, London, Venezuela, Panama, and the Bahamas and back to Utah. Reverend
Weeks first joined the University of Miami Board of Trustees in 1983.
Mr. Weeks began traveling early in life and has crossed the equator many times. It was while attending boarding
school in England, and through his mother – a concert singer – that he developed an affinity for music that has
remained as a thread throughout his life. In 1988, the couple donated their first building to the School of Music,
the L. Austin Weeks Center for Recording and Performance. They have also created the Marta and L. Austin
Weeks Music Scholarship Endowment, which provides assistance to more than 20 students each year.
Other gifts to the University include, but are not limited to, the Lewis G. Weeks Chair in Geology at the
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, established by Marta in memory of her father-in-law; the
L. Austin Weeks Family Endowed Chair in Urologic Research at the School of Medicine; as well as generous
support for tactual speech at the Mailman Center of Child Development, International Education and Exchange
scholarships through the School of Continuing Studies, and the Nursing School Building Fund.
L. Austin Weeks Center for Recording and Performance
(Weeks Center)
5501 San Amaro
[14,000 sq. ft.]
History
Planned for completion in 1992, construction of the L. Austin Weeks Center for Recording and Performance was
delayed for 7 years by Hurricane Andrew, which struck in August 1992. Groundbreaking was finally held in June
1989. The building was designed by The Mathes Group of New Orleans, one of the oldest architectural firms in
the U.S.
The Weeks Center was created with a gift of $1.65 million from former UM Trustee Marta S. Weeks and her
husband, L. Austin Weeks – a lifelong amateur pianist and composer. The Center is one of the cornerstone
projects in the School of Music’s master plan. It houses the 150-seat Clarke Recital Hall, and a recording studio
serving the School of Music’s Music Engineering program.
Brief Donor Bio
Marta and Austin Weeks are among the UM’s most distinguished long-time supporters. Their precious gifts
include the Lewis G. Weeks Endowed Chair in Geology, the L. Austin Weeks Chair in Urologic Research, the
Mailman Center, and an unrestricted endowment fund.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Marta Weeks is a graduate of Stanford University with a degree in political
science, and was the official representative for Stanford’s president at Edward T. Foote’s inauguration
ceremonies. She is a true “Renaissance woman”, who has a variety of talents and interests. She has traveled the
world, published articles, taught English in Venezuela, worked for a law firm and an oil company, and a finance
firm handling investment portfolios. She successfully ran her first business at the age of 13 – selling popcorn.
Among her many community and civic activities, she heads the Weeks Air Museum. During the 1980s, she
attended the Episcopal Seminary in Texas, and became a priest. She served on the University’s Board of Trustees
from 1983.
L. Austin Weeks graduated from Brown University, and earned an M.S. from the University of Wisconsin and an
M.A. from Columbia University. Until 1980, when he retired, Austin Weeks was the Chairman of the Board and
the major shareholder in Weeks Petroleum Ltd, based in Bermuda. His avocations include nature and animal
photography.
The Weeks have lived in Miami since 1967. The youngest of their three children, Leslie Anne, graduated from
UM in 1985 and has been a major benefactor to the Human Performance Research Laboratory in the School of
Education. The Weeks, together with Leslie, have contributed more than $2.4 million to the University. They
became George E. Merrick Society members on March 16, 1985.
Henry S. West Laboratory School
(West Lab School)
Carillo Street
History
The West Laboratory School is located on the University of Miami Coral Gables Campus, however it is
technically a part of the Miami-Dade County Public School System. It is renowned as one of the finest
elementary schools in the nation. Many University of Miami education faculty and students teach and conduct
research there.
The building was named for Henry S. West, the second faculty member ever hired by the University (following
Miss Bertha Foster Ashe), and the first dean of education and Liberal Arts.
Brief Bio
Henry S. West as a native of Baltimore, Maryland and a graduate of Johns Hopkins University where he earned a
Ph.D. in education in 1899. He spent many years as a teacher, and eventually became a superintendent of schools
in Baltimore. He was recruited by Ashe to serve as Professor of Education and Chairman of Later Afternoon and
Saturday Classes – primarily in-service courses for teachers. He became dean of the College of Liberal Arts as
well as of the School of Education when they were created in 1929. He served the University until his retirement
in 1942. In 1955, the Henry S. West Laboratory School was dedicated in his honor.
George E. Whitten Learning and Instructional Resources Center
(LC Building or LIRC Building)
5150 Brunson Drive
[45,054 sq. ft.]
History
In 1959, University of Miami President Jay F. W. Pearson proposed that the University establish a two-year
“University College” within the campus, in order to compete with proposed state universities and junior colleges
slated to open Miami. Televised instruction was also becoming popular at the time, and “through a combination
of circumstances, the University became the possessor of a rather complete system of television broadcast
equipment and the funds to construct a building for its use in closed-circuit television introduction”. The funds
came from a Ford Foundation Grant for Innovative Learning.
The George E. Whitten Learning and Instructional Resources were dedicated in 1970 in appreciation of then
retired University of Miami Trustee George E. Whitten.
For many reasons, the University College concept did not work out, but the building continues to be used to the
present day for large class instruction and guest lectures, as well as the administration of state and national exams.
Brief Donor Bio
George E. Whitten was a University of Miami Trustee from 1945 to 1966. (No relation to Norman Whitten).
He also was president of the Miami Kiwanis Club, Miami Rotary Club, the Orange Bowl Committee, and on the
board of directors of First National Bank.
A great and lifelong friend of Roddey Burdine, the founder of Burdine’s department store, Whitten was named
as one of two trustees of Burdine’s large estate following his death. Whitten also served as the chairman of the
board of Burdines from the 1940s to the late 1960s. He was an innovative business leader who instituted a 40hour work week for employees with time-and-a-half for overtime, sick benefits, retirement and pension plans,
executive training courses, and employee recreation facilities.
George Whitten began his professional life in 1913 after graduating college when he got a job as a clerk in
Burdines’ ladies shoes department. Like Bob Crachit in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, he “sat on a high
stool hunched over a high desk,” however on Fridays and Saturdays he could look through his small window to
see the silent movies projected on the Air Dome theatre next door. He worked his way up through the ranks to
eventually become president and then CEO after Roddey Burdine’s death.
Note: The Orange Bowl was originally called Roddey Burdine Stadium, and the University of Miami Hurricanes
played in the first football game ever held there, in 1937.
Norman A. Whitten University Center
(Whitten University Center)
1306 Stanford Drive
[203,550 sq. ft.]
History
Opened on April 22, 1965, the University of Miami Student Union was rededicated in 1966 in honor of Norman
A. “Chink” Whitten who had been the director of the University of Miami Student Union for 19 years before his
sudden and untimely death at the age of 51, less than a year after the building was completed. Well-loved by
students and administration alike, Whitten had initiated and pushed forward the drive to create and fund the
building. He was also the creator of “Sebastian the Ibis” (the University’s mascot) and the annual Homecoming
Boat Burning tradition.
The first building at the University of Miami to be devoted to student activities was created in 1948 and was part
of an apartment complex built for students living on campus through a $5 million Federal Housing Administration
loan. This building existed on the site of the current student union; however it was razed to make way for a new
building in 1965. The only reminder of the former building is a set of carved coral rock steps on the edge of the
patio near the pool.
The new Student Union building was constructed in 1965 for $3,200,000. Funding came from several sources,
including an increase of $10 in the student activity fee (voted in by students themselves), from donations to the
University of Miami Improvement Fund, and a $2,200,000 twenty-year loan from the Community Facilities
Administration of the Federal Housing and Home Administration. The new building comprised more than
197,000 square feet, and was able to house the University Bookstore as well as a food service area, snack shop,
dining rooms, recreational center with a 12-lane bowling alley, a branch of the U.S. Post Office, and Olympicsized swimming pool and platform diving board, offices, meeting rooms, an auditorium, and information desk, a
large patio and bandstand platform.
Following renovations in the mid-1980s, the building was renamed as the Whitten University Center. Additional
renovations were completed in the early 1990s.
Brief Donor Bio
Norman A. “Chink” Whitten was personally recruited by Doc Thurston Adams and hired by University of
Miami President Bowman Foster Ashe to serve as the University’s first director of student activities, beginning in
February, 1947. He also earned a Master of Education degree from UM in 1957.
Born in Atlanta in 1914, Whitten grew up in La Grange, Georgia. He attended Auburn University (then known as
Alabama Polytechnic Institute at Auburn). He originally intended to have a career as a teacher. However, he
excelled in baseball, and for a number of years, (circa late 1930s), he held the Southeastern Conference batting
average championship (.413). He went on to play for the pro team in Montgomery, Alabama and later for the
Philadelphia Phillies. During World War II he served in the Air Force, initially as a civilian instructor at Maxwell
Field, Alabama – a cadet training center – where he got the recruits into good physical condition. He advanced in
rank and after seven years retired as a Lt. Colonel.
He arrived at the University in 1947, and quickly realized that the University’s student population was growing so
fast that a new and larger student union was needed. So Whitten, in 1958, proposed that the University build a
new union, but the administration could not come up with $3 million to build it. So, Whitten went to students and
they agreed to tax themselves so that future generations would have the advantages of a new student union.
Whitten also created and named Sebastian the Ibis, the University’s mascot as we know it today. In 1955, the
University of Florida Gators were playing UM at home in Miami. It was a tradition at that time to paint “fight
murals” on the windows of the soda shop in the old student union (then called the “Flop Shop”). This particular
year, Whitten, who was a talented cartoonist by hobby, had painted a picture of an alligator being roasted in a big
stew pot. But when he went to paint an Ibis, he thought the little bird looked too thin and small to be very
formidable against a ‘gator, so he drew a new and more intimidating Ibis. Inspired by images of Popeye, Whitten
gave the Ibis a menacing expression, a pipe, band aids on his head, muscular arms with clenched fists, spats, and a
little white hat with an orange “M” on the front (known as a “Dink”. That hat was required wearing by all UM
freshmen).
That image became so popular with students that in the summer of 1958, Whitten and two students decided to
bring the Ibis to life. One of the boys’ mothers made the costume – white fluffy Ibis legs made from a bathroom
floor mat and an orange football jersey borrowed from the athletic department. Whitten and the boys made the
head from paper mache. (In later years, it would be made of fiberglass at a boat building plant in Hialeah). The
Ibis then got his name, Sebastian, because the boy who first wore the costume onto the football field lived in the
San Sebastian building, which was used at that time as a student dormitory.
Whitten was also the originator of the Homecoming Boat Burning tradition in 1955, the year the University of
Miami Hurricane football team first played the Navy. Coincidentally it was the University’s homecoming.
Whitten suggested the theme of “Sink Navy”, and he came up with the idea of sinking a boat in the middle of
Lake Osceola to generate school spirit. Students gathered around the perimeter of the lake singing school songs
and watching fireworks, and they loved it so much it became an annual tradition. (In the 1970s, when
environmental consciousness was raised on a national level, the boats were no longer allowed to be sunk, and all
the previous sunken ships were removed. However the boat burning tradition continues to this day).
When the new student union was completed, The Miami Herald ran a feature article about it entitled “Chink’s
Place.” When Whitten died less than a year later, The Herald ran an editorial calling for the union to be named
for him, reflecting the massive groundswell of admiration for Whitten felt by everyone in the University
community.
Frances L. Wolfson Building
(School of Communication)
5150 Brunson Drive
[56,000 sq. ft.]
History
The groundbreaking for the new home of the School of Communication was held on Monday, December 7, 1999.
This 56,000 square foot $12 million building was completed and dedicated on May 26, 2001 in honor of Frances
L. Wolfson, a University of Miami Trustee whose $10 million gift made the new building possible. An
unprecedented crowd of more than 400 alumni, administrators, faculty and students attended the event.
The building includes broadcast and film studios, AVID and video editing suites, digital photography labs, MAC
and PC computer labs, a cable TV channel, student news service, animation studio, classrooms, and faculty and
administrative offices.
The School of Communication had its beginnings in 1926 when the newly-opened University offered a course in
public speaking, and a year later in a public speaking major was introduced. By 1938, the University was offering
a Journalism major, along with radio broadcasting and advertising courses. In 1947, the University had
completed construction on the Memorial Classroom Building, and the communications program moved in. In
1948, the Radio and Television Department was begun, and its students and faculty collaborated with
professionals at WTVJ (South Florida’s first television station, owned by Mitchell Wolfson Sr.) to broadcast news
and theatrical performances. In 1950, the radio/TV department added a motion picture component, although a
separate Motion Picture major would not begin until 1974.
Until the completion of the Wolfson Building, there was no central location for the three communication
departments. Students took communication classes all over the Coral Gables Campus. Up to the early 1960s,
some classes were taught in the old Anastasia Building in Coral Gables (the former “Cardboard College”). By the
1950s, the building was so decrepit that one day a dog fell through the ceiling in the middle of one of the
classrooms. The City of Coral Gables purchased the building for demolition in 1968.
In 1964, the Radio, Television and Motion Pictures Department moved onto the main campus into what is known
today as the L-1 Building and surrounding temporary shacks. The Journalism Department was housed in the
Ashe Building, and the Speech Department had quarters in what is now one of the student apartment buildings.
In 1974, the Department of Communications was established; encompassing five divisions, and three years later,
two additional majors were added. Enrollment grew, and by 1980, some of the Department of Communication
faculty moved to the first floor of the Merrick Building, while additional classes were held in the cablevision
building and the Learning Center.
In 1981, the Department of Communication dropped the final “s” of “Communications” and added a Master of
Arts degree and an undergraduate advertising major. In 1984, the Department was able to build a state-of-the-art
television production facility and operate a 24-hour local cable channel, thanks to a grant of $500,000 from
Dynamic Cablevision.
On November 20, 1984, the University of Miami Board of Trustees approved “the establishment of a School of
Communication, effective June 1, 1985.” In 1992, the School was accredited by the Accrediting Council on
Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. In 1999, the Faculty Senate approved the School’s first Ph.D.
program in communication.
Brief Donor Bio
Frances (Frankie) Louise Wolfson is the president of Marine R. Corporation, an aircraft charter rental and
leasing services company. She is a University of Miami Trustee and member of the School of Communication
Visiting Committee. From 1971-72 she was president of the Women’s Guild. In 1987, she established the
Communications Studies Endowed Chair. She is also president of the Frances Louise Wolfson Family
Foundation. Despite her prominence in the community, she is an extremely humble and self-effacing person, and
values her privacy.
Ms. Wolfson’s father was Mitchell Wolfson, Sr., who passed away in 1983, was a Key West Native, the first
Jewish Major of Miami Beach (1943). He resigned to enlist in the Army during World War II, where he earned a
Bronze Star. Upon his return, he co-founded Wometco Enterprises, which includes movie theatres, television
stations, and bottling plants. He also helped establish Miami’s First National Bank and Southeast Bank, as well as
Mount Sinai Hospital. He gave a $50 million endowment gift to Miami-Dade Community College, and in
recognition, the college named their main campus (in downtown Miami) after him: The Mitchell L. Wolfson St.
New World Center Campus.
Ms. Wolfson’s mother, Frances Nevelson Wolfson, was a socialite and artist, with a passion for Chinese painting
techniques and Chinese philosophy. She painted a variety of native Florida flora and fauna in the Chinese
tradition. Her paintings were on display in many Wometco theatres, and patrons clamored to buy them. In 1964,
she established the Frances Wolfson Scholarship Fund to provide financial assistance to art majors. The Frances
Wolfson Art Gallery at M-DCC’s North Campus is named for her.
Ms. Wolfson’s youngest brother is Mitchell (Micky) Wolfson, Jr., who worked for the U.S. State Department in
Washington, DC for five years after graduating from Johns Hopkins University. He was vice consul in Genoa
and Turin, Italy. In 1986, he founded The Wolfsonian Museum in Miami Beach, and 10 years later donated his
art collection to Florida International University to be housed there.
Ms. Wolfson’s eldest brother was Louis Wolfson II, who served in the Florida Legislature from 1963-73 and was
a senior vice president at Wometco. He died in 1979.
Ms. Wolfson’s nephew is Louis Wolfson III, a former UM Citizens Board member whose wife, Ellen, is a UM
alumna.
Michael Yaron Field
(Intramural Field)
5701 San Amaro Drive
[258,000 sq. ft.]
History
Dr. Michael Yaron, a 1971 graduate of UM, provided $922,565 in 2001 to fund renovations of the Intramural
Field, including a new lighting system. The field is located near the student residential dormitories and is used for
a variety of sports and activities, including football, soccer, rugby, softball and cricket.
Brief Donor Bio
Dr. Michael Yaron is owner of the National Environmental Association, a firm that specializes in asbestos
removal from hospitals/healthcare facilities in New York and New Jersey. He is also the owner and CEO of MHJ
Associates, a real estate company with investments in Manhattan, New York, and Old City, Philadelphia. Dr.
Yaron’s daughter, Jennifer is also an alumnus.
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
BUILDINGS NOT YET NAMED
CORAL GABLES CAMPUS
1540 Corniche
(University Relations)
1540 Corniche
[10,670 sq. ft.]
History
Originally constructed as the home of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity in 1956, the 1540 Corniche Building, as it
is now called, was renovated in 1988 to become the new home of the Office of Public Affairs and University
Publications (now known as University Relations), which had formerly been housed in the McKnight
Advancement Building (formerly known as the Ponce Building).
5801 Red Road
(School of Nursing)
5801 Red Road
[10,556 sq. ft.]
History
The current home of the School of Nursing until it is able to move into its new M. Christine Schwarz building.
The building was built in 1953 as the home of one of the University’s national fraternities: Alpha Epsilon Pi.
When membership in the fraternity dropped off, ownership of the building reverted to the University of Miami in
1972. It was marginally renovated and converted for use by the School of Nursing during the early 1980s, when
the School moved back to the Coral Gables Campus after being located on the Medical Campus since the 1940s.
Alumni House
(Alumni House)
Brescia Avenue
[3,324 sq. ft.]
History
This building was originally built in 1967 to serve as a hotel/guest house for visitors to the University. However,
former UM President Henry King Stanford states that it never was successful as a hotel because “no one wanted
to stay there – back then it was too isolated and far away from the campus”. So, in the 1970s, the building was
renovated and converted to offices. It currently is the home of the University’s division of Alumni Relations.
Art Buildings/Art Annex
(The Shacks)
Campo Sano Avenue
[33,425 sq. ft.]
History
In 1945, when the University of Miami Board of Trustees made the decision to accept George Merrick’s donation
of 160 acres of land in Coral Gables as the permanent site for the University, they had to act quickly to provide
“temporary” buildings that would meet the needs of the burgeoning post-war student population. The original
Merrick Building that had been destroyed by the 1926 hurricane was still just a shell of a building. And, while
construction on the Memorial Classroom Building was begun in 1946, it was not enough.
So, the move to the new campus was made possible by the construction of “semi permanent” wooden buildings
designed with a Spartan influence that looked much like military barracks. In fact, the lumber for many of these
buildings was salvaged from dismantled government properties used during the war. Other lumber used to
construct the buildings was so green and that the hot sun forced the resin from it.
Originally, there were four of these structures, built in 1947, are still in use today, and their original nickname,
“the shacks,” is still in effect. They house the art department, weaving studio and some architecture and
photography facilities.
Arts-Sculpture Studio & Arts-Painting Studio
(Art Annex 2 & 3)
1310 Campo Sano Drive
[33,425 sq. ft]
History
The Sculpture and Painting studios are housed in what is commonly known as “the shacks”, semi-permanent
wooden buildings, built in 1947 with lumber salvaged from dismantled government properties during the war.
Brief Background
In 2003, the University became aware of some confusion with the building names for the two Arts Annexes,
which were simply numbered. The University decided to officially change the names to “Arts-Sculpture Studio”
and “Arts-Painting Studio” and delete the word “annex.”
Behavioral Medicine Research Institute
(BMRI)
Coral Gables Campus
[11,230 sq. ft.]
History
Constructed in 1983 by Frasuer Knight Associates, Architects and Planners. The facility is used for advanced
scientific research, including testing on animals, and is therefore usually kept out of the public eye.
Cuban Pavilion at the Richter Library – Campaign Underway
(The Cuban Pavilion)
1300 Memorial Drive
History
In 1999, the Goizeta Foundation issued a challenge grant of $2.5 million to benefit the University of Miami’s
Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American studies by building a Cuban Pavilion adjacent to the Richter Library that
will house the University’ histories Cuban Heritage Collection – the largest compilation of Cuban literature,
records, art, photographs, personal journals, documents, and memorabilia in the world. The gift was the leading
gift of a $19 million campaign for the ICCAS launched in the spring of 1999.
Brief Donor Bio
The Goizeta Foundation is an Atlanta-based organization founded by Roberto C. Goizeta, the late Cuban-born
chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola. Goizeta attended Yale University and graduated with degree in chemical
engineering, and came to Atlanta to work for Coca-Cola. He quickly rose through the ranks and in 1980 was
elected president, COO and a member of the board of directors. The following year, he was elected Chairman of
the Board and CEO. He served as a trustee for Emory University and was a member of the Board of Directors of
SunTrust Banks, among others.
Dance Studio/Theatre Arts Building
(Dance Studio)
San Amaro Drive
[7,808 sq. ft.]
History
Constructed in 1957. Facility is used for dance practice and dance faculty offices.
Facilities Adminstration
(Physical Plant)
1535 Levante Avenue
[50,726 sq. ft.]
History
Constructed in 1956 by noted Coral Gables architect Robert M. Little, AIA. It was originally used as a central
services building, and currently serves as the operational and administrative headquarters for the University’s
Physical Plant. It is also currently undergoing renovation to modernize and somewhat expand the structure.
Intramural Fields
(Intramural Fields)
History
As the result of a $1 million anonymous gift, the Intramural Fields were relocated directly behind the George A.
Smathers Wellness Center in August, 2001. Improvements include an irrigation system and lighting for evening
play.
L-1 Building
(L-1 Building)
Campo Sano Avenue
[12,290 sq. ft.]
History
Built in 1947. Became the chief location of the Department of Radio, Television and Motion Pictures in 1964,
until the department moved to the Merrick Building in the 1980s. Currently serves as the location of the
photography department.
Law & Economics Center
(Law & Economics Center – School of International Studies)
1541-51 Brescia Avenue
History
Located adjacent to the School of International Studies, this building was also constructed originally as a
fraternity house for Tau Epsilon Phi in 1957. The lease reverted to the University of Miami in 1971, and the
building became the Law and Economics Center, a division of the School of International Studies. It currently is
used by the Graduate School and the School of Education.
*See Albert Pick Hall in Named Buildings File.
Palmetum
Located on the northeast section of Campus
History
The Palmetum is the only subtropical palm garden on a U.S. college campus and the third arboretum to be planted
at the University during President Edward T. Foote’s tenure, whose vision was to create “a campus in a garden.”
Located near the Whitten Learning Center in the northeast section of campus, the Palmetum (as of 2000) includes
574 palms and cycads from 38 countries. Many of the rare plants are endangered. The palms are grouped by
their region of origin. One section represents palms from Southeast Asia, others from the Pacific Rim, Africa, the
Caribbean, Florida, Australia, South and Central America, and the Himalayas.
The Palmetum also serves as a “classroom” for students, and a backup seed bank for Fairchild Tropical Gardens.
Parking Garage
(Parking Garage/Psychology Offices/School of Nursing-temp quarters)
Ponce de Leon Blvd.
[218,189 sq. ft.]
History
Begun in the summer of 1992 as part of a parking space expansion project following an extensive parking and
traffic assessment required by the City of Coral Gables as part of the University of Miami Campus Area
Development District ordinance, and guided by the Campus Master Plan.
Funding for the project was proposed to come from increased annual parking fees. The garage also houses some
Psychology faculty offices and the Public Safety Department.
Perimeter Wall
History
In line with the University’s master plan, a Mediterranean-style perimeter wall was constructed and completed in
the spring of 1999. It is made of peach-colored concrete pillars with green iron gates.
The wall, installed along the University’s property line on Red Road, runs from Brescia Avenue near the Faculty
Club to Mataro Avenue, where it turns the corner at the corner at the School of Nursing Building and continues
along the south side of Mataro.
Primarily created to enhance the campus identity, as well as to improve security, the idea for the wall originated in
1985.
Rainbow Building
(Unico Services Building)
1540 Levante
[17,941 sq. ft.]
History
Built in 1958 by architect John M. Lyeil AIA, the Rainbow Building was originally as motion picture studio for
Rainbow Pictures, Inc. It was purchased by the University of Miami from Brigham’s Inc. in 1967 for $135,000.
Following extensive renovations by Starnes, Rentacher and Associates, AIA, in 1967, the building was used as
the University’s printing and mailing services center for 20 years. It was renovated again in the early 1990s and is
currently used as the main offices of Unicco Services.
Rehearsal Center
(Fillmore/Broby/Greene Building)
School of Music complex
[20,236 sq. ft.]
History
Built in 1960, this building houses Henry Fillmore Band Hall, Broby Hall (for choral practice) and Nancy Greene
Symphony Rehearsal Hall, in addition to assorted faculty offices.
Brief Background
Henry Fillmore was a noted composer of band music in the early part of the 20th century who became devoted to
the University of Miami band. In fact, the band’s current name “Band of the Hour” originated in 1948, in
recognition of Henry Fillmore’s highly popular march “Man of the Hour.” When Fillmore passed away, he
designated a portion of his considerable estate to the band program. The University reciprocated with the award
of an honorary Doctor of Music degree to Fillmore in 1956. The present Fillmore Hall was dedicated in 1960,
and contains a permanent exhibition of Fillmore memorabilia.
The Nancy Greene Symphony Rehearsal Hall was dedicated in 1961 to Nancy Greene, the widow of Robert Z.
Greene, a University of Miami Trustee from 1968-71 and Trustee Emeritus from 1972 until his death in 1985.
He was also the former CEO of Canteen Corporation, an automated merchandising and food service organization.
Nancy Greene was a renowned philanthropist in South Florida, and a local newspaper once dubbed her “the
Empress of Miami Beach society.” Nancy Greene was awarded an honorary doctorate in music from UM in
1959. She died in 1988.
In their lifetimes, the Greenes were active supporters of the University of Miami in diverse areas, from music to
medicine, and contributed a total of $1.5 million to the University. An additional $1 million (to create the Robert
Z. and Nancy J. Greene Chair in Ophthalmology Research) was given by the Robert Z. Greene Foundation. After
Nancy’s death, the Robert Z. Greene Foundation contributed $100,000 as a leading gift toward the renovation of
the symphony rehearsal hall. The rehearsal hall was named in honor of Nancy Greene in recognition of the
Green’s overall support of the University.
Caroline Broby - ?? (Interview Dr. Kjelson for oral history)
School of Architecture Complex
(Buildings 35, 48D, 49B, 49C)
1223 Dickinson Drive
[15,000 – 21,000 sq. ft. each]
History
Originally part of a group of 29 buildings constructed as Married Veteran Housing after World War II completed
in 1948. The original buildings were designed by Marion Manley, Florida’s first woman architect, and
represented the first International Style buildings designed by an American architect. They were also boldly
articulated, with open stairways, and red roofs and trim. (Marion had also contributed to the University’s master
plan).
In 1983, when the School of Architecture was granted school status by the University, five of these former student
apartment buildings were renovated to house the school’s administrative and teaching facilities. The renovations
were designed by UM architecture faculty member Jan Hochstim, who brought the buildings back from their
1960’s grey façade to their original red and white.
A school of architecture was one of the original plans in George Merrick’s dream of a great international
university, and architecture was one of the first programs founded at the University. It was established in 1927 by
noted Harvard graduate and renowned architect John Llewellyn Skinner.
The Architecture program was housed in the College of Engineering until granted School status in 1983. Today,
the School of Architecture has earned an international reputation for excellence, and was recently honored as one
of two schools in the nation to uphold traditional values in education in architecture.
See Student Apartments
Sculpture Studio
(Building 10)
Dickinson Drive
[7,603 sq. ft.]
History
Built in 1947 as one of the many buildings constructed to house married veterans. It was originally known as
Building 10, and later became a physical plant building. It is currently being used as a ceramics lab and sculpture
studio for the art department.
See Student Apartments
Student Apartments
(Numbered Buildings, i.e. Bldg 23, 22, 23, 24, etc.)
--Various locations—
History
In January 1947, the University of Miami received a $5 million loan for the construction of apartments for
married veterans. Plans included 29 buildings, divided into 589 apartments. By May of 1948, they were ready
for full occupancy.
In recent years, many of these apartment buildings have been converted to University office space – primarily for
the administration of student services. Many of these buildings have also been demolished to make way for
newer buildings, however nearly a dozen remain, some still in use as student apartments.
Student Health Center
(Daystar Clinic/Student Health Center)
5513 Merrick Drive
[13,901 sq. ft.]
History
The oldest building on the Coral Gables Campus, this building was built in 1926. It was originally intended to be
a University of Miami men’s dormitory, called the “Posada del Estudiante.” It was built as a two-story structure
with suites for four men, each with a sleeping porch, hardwood floors, fireplace and a study room, as well as a
central lounge and study hall.
The building was completed in 1926, prior to the devastating hurricane that broke the South Florida economy and
stalled the progress on the Merrick Building, which had been begun at the same time. However, following the
hurricane, the University could no longer afford the building and it was sold, becoming the Don Carlos
Apartments.
For 30 years, the building remained a privately owned “island” in the heart of the Coral Gables Campus.
Apocryphal history (corroborated by more than a dozen leading University administrators and alumni) records
that after World War II, the building’s use degenerated to become a house of ill-repute (initiated by the floor of
returning GIs), and was, in fact, the source of a former City of Coral Gables statute limiting the number of female
roommates to two.
In 1956, the University was finally able to purchase the property and convert it into international student housing.
In 1962, after extensive renovations by noted Coral Gables architect Robert M. Little, FAIA, the building became
the University’s first Student Health Center. Additional renovations were completed in 1965. Again in 1983,
further renovations were accomplished by Edward M. Ghezzi, P.A., including the new brick entrance. In the
early 1990s, more renovations were undertaken to transform the facility into a modern Student Health Center.
NOTE: It is interesting to note that, due to the many renovations on this building, most people think of it as a
“contemporary” building; however photos and archives in the City of Coral Gables’ records document its creation
in 1926. There is also a platt map photo hanging in the Ashe Building lobby that shows the skeleton of the
Merrick building and this building.
University of Miami Bookstore
(University of Miami Book Store)
Whitten University Center
History
Part of Whitten University Center. The newly renovated addition sells University of Miami-related books,
clothing, memorabilia and other items for students, alumni, faculty, staff, and the community.
Writing Center
(Writing Center)
George E. Merrick Drive
[8,375 sq. ft.]
History
Built in 1954, the building currently known as the Writing Center is located on Ponce de Leon Blvd near the
Hillel Jewish Student Center. It is part of the Department of English in the College of Arts and Sciences, and also
hosts the ROTC offices on campus.
ADDENDUM
The University currently leases space in the following buildings:
Plumer Building – various administrative services
North-South Center – for International scholarly research
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University Advancement files (electronic and paper) and archives
Richter Library Archives and Special Collections
Media Relations archives
Veritas and Hurricane Signals archives
The University of Miami: A Golden Anniversary History, by Charlton W. Tebeau
Miami: The Magic City by Arva Moore Parks
Coral Gables: An American Garden City by University of Miami School of Architecture Facility
It’s Better at Burdines: How Burdines Grew Hand-in Hand with Florida, by Roberta Morgan
Facilities files
Real Estate office files
The 50th Anniversary History of the Lowe Art Museum
History of the School of Communication from the Wolfson Building Dedication
History of the School of Business from the McLamore Executive Education Center Dedication
“The University of Miami School of Music: A Brief Historical Essay on Unity, Diversity and Courage,
1926-2001” by George N. Heller, visiting professor of music education.
History of the School of Architecture
Sports Information files and archives
UM Website
The Miami Herald archives
Oral Histories
Evelyn Schwarz
Walter Etling
Helene Kichefski
Dr. William Butler
Dr. Henry King Stanford
Ann Whitten Lisk
Kay Whitten
Bruce Matheson