Butler dorm named for Class of 1967

“This new dormitory will stand as a tribute to the commitment of the Class of 1967 to Princeton and to each other,” President Tilghman said in a statement. “It will also create an outstanding residential experience for future generations of Princetonians, for which I am very grateful.”

Class officers had discussed the idea of commemorating the Class of 1967 with a permanent structure on campus for many years.

“We’d like to name something prominent [after our class],” class president John Laporte ’67 said, “but it had to be something we thought our class could afford.”

Buildings named after the Classes of 1922, 1940, 1941 and 1942 were eradicated with the demolition of the old Butler quad.

The first named new Butler dorm, Wilf Hall, was named after Jane and Mark Wilf ’84.

The naming of the new dormitory will be a commemoration of the Class of 1967 as a whole as well as of each individual class member.

The new 1967 hall will bear a commemorative plaque with the names of all members from that class, Laporte said. “All those who entered in 1963, even those who passed away.”

The officers tossed around several ideas of ways to give back to the University before settling on the new buildings in Butler College.

In the end, Laporte said, the class “unanimously” decided that naming one of the buildings in Butler College was the right choice.

“The way it’s been redesigned — I’m intrigued by how Butler College is a great transition between upper campus and the Ellipse buildings [now called Bloomberg Hall],” he said.

The other leader of the naming effort, former University trustee John Wynne ’67, could not be reached for comment.

Laporte said that though Butler was once the “fringe of campus,” he feels it will become a more central location on campus, with “a lot of foot traffic.”

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

The opportunity to see one’s class on a dormitory plaque is rare. Laporte said he thought Butler College is likely to contain the “last new dorms for the next 15 or 20 years.”

The building will contain mostly four-person suites, with two doubles, a living room and a bathroom. The expected occupancy will be 75 students. It will also include open lounges and common space.

After its renovation is complete, Butler will become a four-year residential college, supporting residential life and sustainability, as well as accommodating an eventual 11 percent increase in student population.

Laporte said that students’ residential colleges do not relinquish their important role in their life post-graduation.

“When alumni get together, one of the most frequently asked questions is always ‘Where did you live?’ Residential life is a key aspect of a person’s college years,” Laporte said in a University statement.