The Dupré Pavilion By The Numbers
science pavilion
DUPRÉ FAMILY HANGS TRADITIONAL SWISS COW BELLS IN NEW SCIENCE PAVILION By Don Orlando
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n the snow-capped Alpine region, ancestors of the Dupré family for centuries experienced the distinctive ringing of cow bells which annually signaled the safe return of herds and the start of a festive fall celebration in the villages of Switzerland and Bavaria. That warm memory has now been brought to the new Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion where 11 bells were hung in the atrium by the Duprés and their nine daughters during the ceremonial dedication on June 25. The idea for the unique decoration was conceived by the Duprés during a recent visit to a bell factory near the Swiss capital of Bern where a small group of skilled craftsmen pour molten bronze into sand molds before polishing and adding thick leather straps with colorful fringing and accents. The bells are called Glocken and are still used by farmers to locate their cows. The artistic bells are also popular as souvenirs for home decoration, prize trophies for competitions and gifts. In the spring when the Alpine snow melt is finished, villagers send their cow herd to high mountain meadows to graze during the summer months. The event, called Alp-Aufzug, is celebrated in each village with a procession through the streets into the high pastures. The best milk producing cow in the village leads the procession, wearing the largest bell. In the fall the event is repeated as the animals return with their clanging bells. “When farmers hear the bells, everybody is happy because they know the cows survived. Likewise, today the sound of the bells signifies a happy time. It’s a nice custom,” said Herman Dupré.
a place where students, who have the aptitude and interest in science, will find the same fascination that I discovered through my association with Herman—a fascination with passion and purpose that will allow students to pursue original ideas which will advance the world.” Also speaking was Dr. Mininder S. Kocher, husband of Michele Dupré, who serves as associate director, Division of Sports Medicine, Children’s Hospital, 8
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Boston, and as associate professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School. He offered a scientific spin— nature and nurture—in his praise of the family. He noted that the Duprés have given to their family “great nature via their genes, and great nurturing of their daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren, from their love and respect to their work ethic and fairness, from their scientific inquisitiveness to a life integrated
with nature, from discipline and high standards, to encouragement and generosity. May the nature and nurturing of Sis and Herman fill this building for the students and faculty of Saint Vincent as it has done for us.” The “magic of teamwork” of the Duprés was praised by son-in-law, Michael Galgon, founder of aQuantive, and husband to Gretl Dupré. Mr. Galgon praised the Duprés’ masterful teamwork,
noting they have forged “a union made up of love, understanding, patient humor and unwavering commitment to family and friends.” The hardworking couple, Galgon said, has produced “a world-class resort, 29 grandchildren, dozens of degrees, hundreds of friends, hundreds of thousands of miles traveled, millions of smiles and snow.” He thanked his in-laws, and said he knew they would be proud of the Saint Vincent students for whom “the bar has been set high; may Saint Vincent students strive for lofty goals and achieve excellence in learning.” Another son-in-law, Mark Nunnelly, managing director, Bain Capital, and husband to Denise Dupré, said the Dupré Pavilion “is a fitting tribute to lives lived so well.” He drew a comparison between the family and the beloved Alpine flower, the edelweiss, which is not only the name of the family homestead at Seven Springs, but also the name of the popular “Sound of Music” song whose singing is known to brings tears to the eyes of the Dupré daughters. He pointed out that the word edelweiss, when translated, means “strong and pure and white,” and is an apt comparison to this “great family for its strength of character, the rareness of its specialness, and the purity of its objectives and spirit.” And addressing the Duprés, he said, “That makes you the edelweiss in so many of of our lives; thank you, congratulations, and we love you so much.” The dedication ceremony also included remarks by Br. Norman W. Hipps, O.S.B., president, Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B., chancellor, and the Rev. Paul R. Taylor, O.S.B., executive director of Saint Vincent Archabbey Educational Apostolates and Endowments. “I have known Herman and Sis for a long time,” Archabbot Douglas said. “Through tough beginnings, by their hard work and endurance, and overcoming all kinds of obstacles, they built Seven Springs, a world-renowned ski resort. If they had done only that, it would be sufficient to honor them. However, they did something much more significant. They never lost sight of the most important thing and that is the gift of life—to try to be authentic
human beings. This family not only cares for the people that they know, but by this pavilion, they have extended their caring to the education of young people —students who through their generosity and educations will enable them to help create a better world for all of them.” “The Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion is an extraordinarily important facility for Saint Vincent College,” Br. Norman said. “What it means for our sciences and mathematics programs is creating a space where students and faculty members can do science together—to facilitate significant interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary programming. The other element of the design is one that promotes a lot of informal interactions between and among the faculty and students. We are providing the kinds of spaces where our faculty and students can be engaged in doing sciences and mathematics most effectively.” The dedication ceremony also included a ceremony of the bells for the installation and ringing of 11 custommade Swiss cow bells in the atrium—11 representing the couple and all of their daughters. In the Alpine highlands, the sound of bells signals the safe return of the farmers’ cows from the mountains in the fall and the start of a celebration in the villages. The beloved Edelweiss song was also played, and colorful banners and bright red geraniums, a family favorite, decorated walkways and the atrium. A reception followed the ceremony in the Fred M. Rogers Center where Heidi Anderes, the eldest granddaughter, presented memorial bells to each of the grandchildren. Toasts were offered by Joseph Marinello and Br. Norman, and a video presentation honoring the Dupré family was shown. The Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion provides classrooms, high-tech laboratories and offices for the Boyer School named for Dr. Herbert Boyer, a 1958 alumnus, who has been honored as a pioneer for research into gene splicing to meet medical needs through the firm he co-founded, Genentech, Inc. The Dupré Pavilion opened in the fall of 2010 and features the Angelo J. Taiani Planetarium
92%
of the construction waste to date has been diverted from landfills and recycled for a total of 3605 tons (or 7,210,000 lbs.) of debris.
62,500
linear feet of geothermal wells heat and cool the building.
320
glass panels make up the glass Atrium space.
2,200 10 & 22
gallon storage tank below ground supplies water to the center.
The fountain’s working height and maximum reach in feet.
11
bronze Swiss bells hung in the Atrium of the Science Pavilion weigh 25 pounds each and are inscribed with the names of Herman Dupré, Sis Dupré, and each of their nine daughters—Denise, Laura, Rosi, Anni, Janeen, Heidi, Gretl, Michele and Renee.
15,586
architectural man hours (7.5 man years) have gone into the project, to date. Consultants and contractors have many, many more.
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