Alumni to help rebuild UM ‘Den’

loading...

ORONO – Three years after it closed, the Bear’s Den is making a comeback thanks to the University of Maine Class of 1944, whose members graduated before the popular student hangout was created.

Tucked away in the basement of the Memorial Union, the Bear’s Den had been a hallmark of the Orono campus for almost 50 years until it was eliminated during extensive renovations to the building.

During the holiday break, the much-loved gathering spot will be resurrected as an old English pub, a $160,000 project to be paid for by the Class of 1944 as part of its 60th reunion gift.

The new Bear’s Den will replace the Stillwater Canal Co., a publike facility formerly located in a corner of the Memorial Union’s food court.

Al McNeilly, 83, a member of the Class of 1944, got the ball rolling about a year and a half ago after he toured the newly renovated student union and noticed something was missing.

“What happened to the Bear’s Den?” asked the retired engineer. He wasted no time contacting classmates to see what they thought about raising money for a new facility.

Although a large portion of the money has been raised, donations still are needed, he said.

The Class of ’44 Bear’s Den will be a far cry from the original spot, known for serving hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries and pizza in an unassuming, loungelike atmosphere.

It will feature an oak-paneled bar lined with a brass rail and mirror and topped with a copper canopy. Dark wood on the floor and windows and rich, muted colors on the walls will add intimacy and give the bright, contemporary space an Old World feel “in the spirit of an English-style pub,” said Lynda Casteris-El-Hajj of WBRC Architects, the Bangor firm that designed the project. Sullivan & Merritt of Bangor is the contractor.

While the Stillwater Canal Co. had been an extension of the dining facility, the Bear’s Den will be marked by glass French doors “so it will have a sense of its own space,” she said.

Plans are to reflect the history of the former Bear’s Den and the university itself by decorating the walls with photographs and other memorabilia. A hunt is under way to find the old Bear’s Den sign, according to Casteris-El-Hajj.

Although the plan is to have the room completed by mid-January when students return from break, the official opening will take place in June when the Class of 1944 holds its 60th reunion.

Searching for photographs of old English pubs, class members pored over books and Web sites, said McNeilly, now an Owls Head lobsterman.

“Here’s what we want it to look like,” he and his classmates told architects.

A dart board also will hang on the wall, adding to the pub-style ambiance.

“The goal was to create an English pub in the best tradition. A plain old lounge wasn’t going to do it,” said Al Ehrenfried, 81, a member of the Class of 1944 and also a retired engineer.

But decor alone doesn’t define the old English pub of the 1700s. “These were centers of thought and discussion,” said Ehrenfried, who spent part of his career doing research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s radiation lab.

Called “penny universities,” pubs were considered to be the “birthplace of democracy,” where participants of all ages and classes could speak freely, out from under the thumb of government and church, Ehrenfried said.

Students always felt at home in the Bear’s Den, said Dan Sturrup, associate director of dining services who managed the place from 1993 until it closed in 2000.

“You could sit at a table in the middle of the dining room and watch people coming in, or you could go to a booth and do your homework or have a personal discussion. Everyone knew where it was. It was a way station as well as a destination,” said Sturrup, who graduated from UM in 1979.

“If the student union was the hub of the campus, the Bear’s Den was the hub of the student union,” said Dan Williams, who graduated from UM in 1994.

“This is a class [whose members] have done so much for the university and for students,” said Williams, director of annual and reunion giving at the Alumni Association.

“This is another project that will be part of their legacy,” he said.

Despite being torn apart by World War II, members of the Class of 1944 are a close-knit group who have made a name for themselves through their generous contributions to the university. Class of 1944 Hall, which houses the performing arts departments, is named in their honor. And Bodwell Lounge in the Maine Center for the Arts and the Buchanan Alumni Hall also were supported by members of the class.

World War II forced many young men who started out in the class to temporarily abandon their education and return later to UM. “But they still identified with their original class,” Ehrenfried said.

“It was the class the war tried to tear apart and because of that we probably have held together tighter than we might have otherwise,” he said.

Class members understood the need for a student gathering spot. “We knew the sense of it because we had a place we could go to get a snack and hang out,” said McNeilly, referring to Fernald Hall, where the campus bookstore, barbershop and soda fountain used to be located.

“That was our community center,” he said.

McNeilly likes the idea that students who are of age can have a beer without leaving campus.

“I’d rather have them go to the Bear’s Den than drive into Old Town or Bangor,” he said. “Being on campus and having a pleasant, nice pub sort of surrounding would be conducive to having them act as gentlemen and ladies.”

Matt Rodrigue, president of the student body, said he was pleased the new Bear’s Den included space for the band performances and karaoke sessions regularly featured at UM. Suggestions from students had been solicited, he said.

“It’s a great project. The students are excited it will be coming back to campus,” said Rodrigue, who wrote a letter thanking the Class of 1944 for their generosity.

Rodrigue, who will graduate in May with two bachelor’s degrees, one in computer engineering and one in electrical engineering, said the new Bear’s Den will be an attraction for alumni. “This will be a good reason to return and just hang out,” he said.

Anyone with UM memorabilia suitable for the Class of 1944 Bear’s Den may call Casteris-El Hajj at WBRC, 947-4511.