Old Main would have been destroyed some years ago if certain individuals of the administration, and of the faculty, had prevailed. Many of the very same criticisms presently being used to justify destruction of Carnall Hall were made against Old Main. Our university is now almost 120 years old, an asset whose worth to our state and our people cannot be measured in dollars. Those of us who owe the institution a lasting debt for the education it provided and for youthful memories that grow more precious with the passing years number in the thousands in Arkansas and around the world. If we seem to put emphasis on the worth of sentiment in our attachment to the old buildings, it's because we care and we want to continue caring.
Administrators come and go, some going more quickly than others.
Too many appear to base decisions pretty much on the dollar mark, and overlook the fact that the heart and soul of a venerable institution like our university is not dollars but the love and loyalty of its people. Carnall Hall is such a significant structure. Our university will do well to restore it to good condition and continue to use it. Today the university is older, Carnall has been allowed to deteriorate further and the cost for restoration is higher. But Ernie's plea is nonetheless just as relevant as it was in 1990.