Present and former students, faculty and staff reminisced about their experiences in the building while drinking out of water bottles labeled "Thirsting for Improvement" that listed the renovation projects the building will undergo.
To begin the program, former Provost Dick Richardson read accounts of the memories alumni have accumulated about Memorial Hall.
"Within these walls we have experienced much joy, laughter, great ideas, spirited and controversial exchanges and a few tears," he said.
Richardson dubbed the program "A Memorial to Memorial" and recounted humorous stories of past performances as well as the tale of the "Memorial Hall ghost."
Richardson also talked about actor Andy Griffith, class of 1949, whose first theatrical performance was in Memorial Hall. Griffith played the part of the grand inquisitor of Spain in Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Gondoliers."
Richardson said that Griffith loved the experiences he had at Memorial Hall and that Griffith once said he was always the first performer to arrive and the last to leave at the end of the night.
Richardson invited attendees to share their stories after he spoke.
Dave Huffman of Raleigh recalled his memory of the night Jane Fonda spoke about her political activism as students unrolled a 10-foot "Barbarella" movie poster from the balcony.
UNC employee Betty Averette talked about the time Little Richard invited her to dance on stage during his concert. "The walls were just shakin'," she said, remembering the audience's energy.
