chapter 4:
More Growth and progress
and parcel of such an affair. Cormier chose “connections” as her theme. The ceremonies and celebrations continued throughout the day and ended with a band entertaining the guests on Lankford Mall.15 With all the formalities and events of the inaugural process accomplished, Cormier set about the business of running the college. During her fourteen years at Longwood, numerous changes to the physical campus occurred, some planned and some not. Patricia P. Cormier, president 1996-2010 The loss of the Ruffner building and the meaningful Rotunda is probably the event that had the greatest impact on the Longwood community and all those with a connection to the school. The structure, often referred to as the school’s “most beloved building,” was undergoing extensive renovation at the time. On the evening of April 24, 2001, a fire was discovered, and the adjoining buildings were evacuated. As students, faculty and townspeople watched more than 175 firefighters battle the flames, the Rotunda collapsed.
The fire destroyed Ruffner, and although Grainger still stood, it was eventually declared a total loss due to the damage caused by the blaze, smoke and water. The diligent work of the firefighters halted the fire at the Tabb Residence Hall. Amazingly, even with its suddenness and intensity, no one was injured and, almost miraculously, Joanie on the Pony (the university’s equestrian sculpture of Joan of Arc) stood on the Colonnade unscathed. 16
Jennifer Lewis Bateman ’03
I was sitting in my dorm room and all of a sudden we heard there was a fire on campus – before we knew it Frazer was being evacuated as officials were worried about an underground gas line exploding, As I exited Frazer, I remember looking at the Rotunda at the precise moment that it opened up like a blossoming flower and an enormous fireball skyrocketed out. I couldn’t believe my eyes. That visual of the Rotunda has stuck in my mind throughout the years after leaving LU.
Ruffner Fire of 2001
longwood university
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the first 175 years