Amid all the activity during Wittenberg’s annual Homecoming Weekend festivities, Oct. 24-26, many alumni, faculty and staff also discovered their names imprinted in the heart of campus.

Engraved on bricks surrounding a large concrete Wittenberg “W” placed in the center of the new Woodlawn Avenue pedestrian plaza, the names showcase some of Wittenberg’s outstanding alumni, faculty and staff, and offer a brief glimpse into the university’s past.

Wittenberg teaching greats such as Richard P. Veler ’58, professor emeritus of English, and the late Margaret Sittler Ermarth ’30, a beloved history professor, are among the names. Joining them are the recipients of the university’s prestigious alumni awards, given to those who have served the university above and beyond what might be expected, brought honor to their alma mater or those who have excelled in their profession or avocation. The name of the late Rees Edgar Tulloss 1906, Wittenberg president from 1920-1949, for example, can be found around the “W,” a gift from the Class of 2003.

“These honorees are an important part of Wittenberg’s history, and this plaza serves as a monument to the many men and women who have made a difference in the life of the university,” said Patricia Richmond Benne ’68, director of alumni relations, whose husband, Ken Benne ’68, dean of admission, received the Class of 1914 alumni award in 1990.

“As people head to the Benham-Pence Student Center, we hope they will consider those individuals who have influenced them in their Wittenberg careers so that they, too, might one day take their place around the ‘W.’”