Bill Fiege '95 "It was 9:25 p.m. on the evening of April 24, and the final Ambassador meeting of the semester was starting in 10 minutes. The meeting, usually held in the basement of Grainger, was at the Alumni House because it would be followed by an ice cream social, celebrating the end of the semester. As Ambassadors were trickling into the house, a student rushed in to say the Rotunda was on fire. The early comers rushed out onto the Alumni House porch and in disbelief, saw the flames shooting high into the night sky. As 9:30 arrived and everyone was present on the front lawn of the house, emotions began to come out. There were tears and thoughts of what can we do? Obviously, the meeting was canceled, and the group members disbursed to see how they might offer assistance.

Walking from the Alumni House, along High Street to the Ruffner area, was heart wrenching. As I drew closer to the scene, it was painfully obvious that this was not a fire that would be put out with a few sprinkles of water. The Ruffner building (from east to west) was completely engulfed in flames, and I just hoped that the fire would not go into Grainger on the west-side or South Ruffner, Tabb, and French on the east side. It was now 10 p.m. and the firefighters were working diligently to keep the flames from those areas and contain the fire in the Ruffners.

It was a little after this time, when I saw Nancy Shelton. I had called Nancy, the Director of Alumni Relations and my boss, from the Alumni House and told her about the situation. We then saw Dennis Sercombe, the Director of Public Relations, and asked him what we might be able to do to help. As the signature building of Longwood burned, we realized we needed to communicate with alumni. We wanted them to hear the news from us not just on their television sets or in the newspapers. Also, alumni outside of Virginia would likely not see any information on the fire unless we sent something to them.

I went to my office and emailed to all of the alumni for whom we have correct email addresses (5400 at the time) a statement that the Ruffner Building was on fire and that we would update them as soon as possible. I also stated that pictures and updates would be posted on the Longwood web site at www.longwood.edu as they became available. So we do not crash the system, e-mails are divided into four groups alphabetically by e-mail address and delivered one group at a time. The first e-mail was sent at 11:11 pm and the last at 11:39 pm. In the next three days, three more informational updates were sent via e-mail.

We have received hundreds of e-mails in return. Many alumni were concerned about specific items that they thought might have been lost in the fire. Artifacts most inquired about included the Joan of Arc statue, Longwood Bell, "gray step," sorority plaques, and the Kappa Delta bench. All of these items were relocated before renovations began and were not affected by the fire. Also, we received a vast number of e-mails with memories from the historic building, which are included throughout this issue.

At 2:45 a.m., I left the scene and went back to the Alumni House to get my car. As I walked, I reminisced about all of the memories I had in the Ruffner Building during my days as a student and now employee. I lived in Tabb my freshman year, had many initiations and meetings in the Rotunda, and worked out of East Ruffner my first three years as a speech instructor. When I got to the house and stood on the porch once again, I could not see the flames and realized enormous trees blocked the view of the Ruffners and Grainger. Yet, just five-and-half-hours earlier, I could see the fire clear as day from the porch of the Alumni House. It is an image I will remember forever."

Nancy Gregory Martin '66 "For the generations of "Longwood Ladies" who gathered inside the Rotunda at least twice a day before meals to sing rival songs and 'Among the gleaming columns ... A gentle voice calls ... ,' it is hard to think of these destroyed buildings as just buildings. For us, it was the heart of a home where we were watched over by faculty members who sat and talked with us in the Rotunda between classes, a Dean of Women who was never too busy to join us for lunch, and a 'Nighty Watch' who locked all the doors at night and drove us to the train when it was dark outside. It was, for all of us, an 'age of innocence,' between Mom and Dad and the big wide world of Vietnam, women's lib, husbands, careers, and babies. I will treasure as one of life's best moments standing with hundreds of teased and flipped haired friends, all of us dressed in 'ladylike attire,' surrounding the Rotunda's three floors of white banisters, each of us holding candles and singing, 'I'll be home for Christmas' while snow swirled around those beautiful windows and columns beyond. A very special time and place ..."

Jan Iocopinelli '74 "There are eight of us who have kept in touch for 30 years. We have so many joyous memories of our years at Longwood College and of the Rotunda Ð Ring Figure, Rotunda Sings, the huge Christmas tree. I can still hear the sound of the steps creaking and the big front door closing."

Jen Bladen '95 "I remember sitting out front and staring at that beautiful building wondering why I was homesick for California when Virginia was as lovely as that ... I remember the first photos I saw of Longwood and choosing it based on its history and architecture."

Janie Evans '67 "I remember watching the first appearance of the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show downstairs below the dining hall, and we girls all ran back to our rooms just screaming. I also remember standing in the Rotunda on a weekend night trying to find a private place to kiss my date as everyone else on a date was trying to do the same thing while waiting for the midnight curfew to arrive."

Rhianna Mathias '00 "I simply wanted to relay my genuine sense of loss for my fellow alumni, the current student body, and future students of Longwood College. What a priceless piece of our history to lose ... One of the sundry things Longwood instilled in me during my four years there was a reverence for its history. I feel that I can speak for most of my peers in saying that we treasure Longwood's tradition and relish its richness. I feel like I've lost an old dear friend. I think of that marble step right outside of the front doors of the Rotunda, smoothly sunken by a long history of footsteps, and my heart breaks. I think of Dr. Jordan, his research, stories ... My family gave me a print of the Rotunda for graduation last year. I can honestly say that the print means so much more to me now .... That is the way I will always remember the Rotunda."

Jeanne Romeo '68 "My daughter (Kristina) is one of the seniors graduating this year, and we have both spent some time 'mourning' for the loss of the Rotunda. We both have some very dear memories of the creaking board floors, the old smells of an old building, and one of the slate threshold which was found. But we also know that this was just brick and mortar and that the true spirit is still there and the generations of students yet to come will create all new memories for Longwood. We will be there on May 12 (graduation day) to shed a tear for what was lost and to look ahead for what is to come."

Crystal Worley '83 "The Rotunda was not just a building, it was a symbol of a school and a lot of the values that are instilled in young people everyday."