Walking into Bear Hall everyday, do you stop to consider why a building was named after a furry creature in the woods? It wasn’t. Do you stop and think why “Wag” is “Wag”?

Tyrone Rowell, the assistant to the chancellor special projects, knows where these buildings that we love and hate got their start.

Today, Wagoner Dining Hall is the social hub for freshmen on campus, but few know the building is named after William H. Wagoner, the first UNCW chancellor. He served as the last president of Wilmington College from 1968-1969 when the university first began its switch to UNCW.

Wagoner served the university with his wife Madeline for 21 years. Madeline Suites stands in recognition of her service as our first lady.

William Madison Randall library is the spot on campus for late night study sessions, coffee and frustrated students. It stands in honor of Dr. William Madison Randall, who acted as the third president of Wilmington College. It suited him well because Randall was a former librarian and spoke fluent German and Arabic. He even spied on the Germans during World War II in West Africa.

After the war, he was commissioned to reorganize the Vatican Library in Rome, Italy, a library that now holds two million books. We can also thank Randall for developing our university seal and motto.

Lakeside Hall became Leutze Hall in 2003 in honor of Chancellor Emeritus James R. Leutze. The beautiful ponds surrounding the clock tower are courtesy of Chancellor Leutze as well. The area was once a parking lot. Leutze had the ponds dug and also created the archway between Morton and Leutze Hall.

According to Rowell, “Dr. James R. Leutze loved students and would change his route just to speak to them.”

An interesting fact about the past chancellor, Leutze’s great, great grandfather painted the well known painting, “George Washington Crossing the Delaware.”

Bear Hall is the only building in North Carolina named after another building. The original Bear Hall functioned as the first home for Wilmington College. Isaac and Samuel Bear were brothers who gave funding for a public school building, but in 1947 the building was given to the college. Samuel had the building named Isaac Bear Hall as a memorial to his brother.

On a normal Monday, Fisher Student Center is filled with chatting sorority girls, bookstore employees and quiet corners upstairs. It is named in honor of alumni Herbert and Sylvia Fisher. Most students know the Varsity Café inside the Student Center was named so because Herb owned the original Varsity Café; however, few know Sylvia Fisher was Wilmington College’s first homecoming queen.

UNCW’s campus is a far cry from the early days of Wilmington College. The accomplishments of these men and women helped to make UNCW what it is today. Sadly, UNCW has no plans for naming the future buildings in honor of any more of these accomplished men and women.

According to Max Allen, chief of staff for the chancellor, “The UNCW Board of Trustees established policies and procedures for future naming of buildings which are now based on various levels of private financial support. The naming of the Fisher Student Center is an example of how this occurred.”

As long as the campus continues to grow, there will be stories to accompany the history of the buildings.