Friday, April 17, 2009
Ask a student what the “Rock Chalk” chant is and they are likely to respond by singing. But ask them who Edgar Henry Summerfield Bailey is and the response will probably be, “Who?” What a majority of students don’t know is that E.H.S. Bailey was the founding father of the “Rock Chalk” chant when he invented it for the Science Club in 1886. Only a few years later, in 1900, they erected a building with his name.
Bailey Hall, originally built for chemistry and pharmacy studies, is one of the most historic buildings on campus. Its most significant claim to fame is the discovery of helium gas in 1905. In the basement of this building, professors Hamilton P. Cady and David McFarland first isolated helium in natural gas to make Bailey Hall, and the whole University, a chemical landmark. Since then the building has changed, with labs and chimneys removed and programs shifted, but the history still stands, especially since it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
The interior of Bailey Hall.
The exterior of Bailey Hall on Jayhawk Boulevard.
The hall is now the location of many of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences departments, including American Studies, African and African-American Studies, Latin American Studies, East European and Eurasian Studies, Western Civilization and Communication Studies. It is also home to the KU Debate team and the Langston Hughes Resource Center. John Fackler, administrative associate, cites Bailey Hall as, “a nice place to work with an interesting atmosphere. It’s much better than a cubical.”
Fackler works in the Communication Studies area of the building and is very aware of how historical his workplace is.
Students enjoy the building, too.
“I like the building because the architecture is cool,” Jason Marqusee, Sioux City, Iowa, junior, said. “I also once watched ‘Run, Lola, Run’ with my German class and ate pizza here in the basement.”
It’s not a rare occurrence to have a little fun here, and students have been doing it for a long time.
“I’m not a regular here, but Bailey is a good location on the hill, and on campus,” George Bradshaw, Metairie, La., junior, said. “And I think if E.H.S. Bailey were alive today, he would be happy to hear that; just how he planned it.”
Find information about other campus buildings here.
— — Edited by Kelsey Hayes
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