Southwestern Magazine | Spring 2021

THEN AND NOW Perhaps it is difficult to imagine a beautiful day at Southwestern without spending a few minutes sitting in an Adirondack chair or relaxing in a hammock on the Academic Mall, but that would have been impossible before 1993. Prior to President Roy B. Shilling Jr.’s 1981 Master Plan, a U-shaped automobile drive constructed in the 1950s traversed the area now known as the Roy H. Cullen Academic Mall, effectively severing the connection between the central and peripheral buildings of the campus and greatly reducing its walkability. In an effort to unify the university’s major buildings and create space for students and faculty to gather together at the heart of campus, the Master Plan provided for the tree-lined walkway and luscious green field that have become hallmarks of campus life. These days, the only threat to pedestrian safety on the Mall is the occasional rogue Pirate Bike! Not That Kind of Mall Photo by Jeff Teicher SOUTHWE S T E RN | 55 STORY BY CATHERINE STASKAWICZ ’21