Story of SCSU’s Atwood Memorial Center

Atwood Memorial Center on the St. Cloud State University campus was named for the Atwood family and opened in 1966.  SCSU Archivist Tom Steman joined me on WJON.  He says the campus was growing in the 1960s and the University needed a place for students to gather.  Steman says it was initially called the Atwood Memorial College Center and was named for the whole Atwood family, not just one person.

Get our free mobile app

The Atwoods included Clarence and his wife, Mary, their children Allen and Margorie and Allen's wife Ferne Atwood.  They contributed money toward the building of this student union along with money from students and from the state.  Clarence Atwood was an 1880 St. Cloud State graduate who served as the school's resident director from 1911 to 1921.   Ferne also worked at SCSU in the early 1920s.

He explains there were multiple phases to the building with the first opening in 1966.  The 2nd phase opened in 1972 and the 3rd was completed in April of 2004.  Funding for the 2004 Atwood Memorial Center expansion was paid for through a $16 million bond issue approved by students in November 2001. This bond approval set aside $5 million for an expansion of Atwood, $5 million toward the construction of Husky Stadium, and $6 million for a new campus recreational center. The increase cost students a maximum of an additional $4.50 fee per credit to raise the $16 million.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Tom Steman about SCSU buildings, it is available below.