The Southwester - November 2011

Serving the Southwestern Michigan College community for more than 30 years November 1, 2011 Inside The S uthwester SMC’s pylons rise over Dowagiac campus for 30 years By JOE OHLENBUSCH Student Writer Greatness has graced the Lyons Building entrance for more... More

Serving the Southwestern Michigan College community for more than 30 years November 1, 2011 Inside The S uthwester SMC’s pylons rise over Dowagiac campus for 30 years By JOE OHLENBUSCH Student Writer Greatness has graced the Lyons Building entrance for more than 30 years,yetsomeareunaware. Sculptures watch over the students, much like the figures of Jesus and Mary watch over the congregation at church. These sculptures are fighting their way through time, locked in a continuous battle with the elements. For some, deterioration has gotten the best of them. Museum Director Steve Arseneau said he believes that the busts that grace the grounds of the Cherry Grove Road entrance of the Dowagiac campus are of Voltaire, Chopin, Wagner, Goethe, Listz, Emerson, Beethoven, and Hugo (see the sidebar story page 2, “Who Were They?”). These medallions, however, were not made for the college, but were actually saved from destruction in 1966 by two of SMC’s own students, Paul Hansen and David Bainb Less