Daniel Williams/Collegian
Senior Melissa Irish is part of the Stoops quartet that played for guests at the reception.
Tyler Horning/Collegian
Junior Leah Turner prepares a few of the hundreds of bottles of wine the Gala required.
Tyler Horning/Collegian
Saga Inc. production manager Dale Curtis, right, leads a crew of chefs as they prepare Friday's dinner.
Tyler Horning/Collegian
Sir Martin Gilbert and President Arnn celebrate the unveiling of the Winston Churchill statue, which was sculpted by Hillsdale graduate Heather Tritchka.
Daniel Williams/Collegian
President Arnn calls guests to dinner.
Daniel Williams/Collegian
Juniors Laura Honsey and Jodi Westrick serve hors d'ouvres at Saturday's reception.
Daniel Williams/Collegian
The ice sculpture of Central Hall weighed over 1600 pounds. Two identical sculptures were carved for the Gala.
Daniel Williams/Collegian
Saturday's dinner was black-tie optional.
Daniel Williams/Collegian
Junior Eva Pierce takes advantage of a photo-op with Trustee Pat Sajak.
Since plans for the Founders Campaign Gala were revealed to students last May, its coming has hung like a mist over the campus. For others, it is the culmination of two years' planning.
Last weekend it came and went, a whirlwind of colossal tents, extravagant dinners, and colorfully-dressed guests, that left only urns of mums on the sidewalks and the glow of fluorescent yellow grass on the quad to remind us of its presence.
More than 450 guests arrived for the official beginning of the Gala early Friday. They were given a tour of the campus and observed the dedication of the Winston Churchill statue given by Martin Gilbert, William and Berniece Grewcock Distinguished Fellow in History, before dinner and author and columnist Ann Coulter's speech.
On Saturday Dan Quayle, former Vice-President of the United States, addressed students, faculty,and guests. Over lunch, Gala visitors heard a recorded message from William F. Buckley, Jr., founder and editor of National Review, and an address by former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III.
The Gala took place as part of the Founders Campaign, an eight-year fundraising effort aimed at gaining $400 million in endowments. The money gained will flow into several projects including a $100 million building program, new scholarships for students and the proposed School of Statesmanship for graduate students.
Included in the $400 million goal is a $30 million (13 percent) appropriation for fundraising endeavors such as the Gala.
Now halfway through its eight-year plan, the campaign has spent about $24 million on expenses. It has raised $195 million, about $4 million of which coming in during the Gala, Arnn said.
He said planning for the event began two years ago, but still there was some last-minute chaos.
"We were extremely well-prepared," he said. "Everything was thought through with the greatest care in advance. Nothing was left undone. Then we ran around like chickens with our heads cut off."
Erik Olauson, director of operations and special events with Saga, Inc. spent a year planning the culinary aspect of the gala. Several chefs were imported to assist the Saga team in the massive food preparations over the weekend.
In April, Olauson and Ellen Donohoe, executive director of the Capital Campaign, met with representatives from student organizations on campus to arrange groups of student workers who would help with food preparation and service.
McIntyre House Director Teri Martin, who coordinated the 398 student workers, said despite a few incidents of forgotten shifts, she was impressed by the willingness of students to work.
"Seeing the students and the culinary staff pull together to make it what it was was inspiring," she said. "The students over-exceeded themselves."
Olauson agreed.
"The college students far surpassed any other servers I've had from an external source," he said.
Student workers performed a variety of tasks. Some set tables, some served wine and hors d'ouvres, and some learned how to make sushi.
Although many students complained of inconveniences posed by the Gala, especially the tent in the middle of campus, many found it to be a pleasurable experience in the end.
In addition to working at the Gala, junior Laura Honsey attended two afterglows and a tea held by Penny Arnn at the Pi Beta Phi sorority house. She said she enjoyed meeting notable people such as Pat Sajak, several scholarship donors, a close friend of the late Woody Hayes, and Virginia Thomas, wife of the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
In addition to the administration, culinary staff and students, the gala demanded much from the maintenance staff.
Grover Campbell, a member of the grounds crew, said he worked nearly 80 hours last week setting up for Gala events and helping load and unload delivery trucks.
"I don't think we've fully recovered yet," he said. "At least I haven't."
This theme was echoed by Arnn, Olauson and Martin, though they agreed that it was, in Arnn's words, the "happy tired" that comes after a success.
"The event was a chance to tell the story of the college, its plans and its principles," Arnn said. "It is always better for people to see the campus, which attracts support from every corner of the Union, and which is not located in a place where crowds frequent. The event generated enthusiasm in all of the guests."
Indeed, Steve and Mary Kay Driscoll, who traveled from Chicago to the gala, described the event as "perfect."
Georgine Bashara Hayes, a 1961 graduate also said she enjoyed all aspects of the Gala.
"It was a great tribute to whoever worked on it," she said.