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’Let there be light’ |
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Photo
by Andrew Shurtleff
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| Thousands
of students, staff and faculty gathered Dec. 5 for the University’s
first-ever Lighting of the Lawn, initiated by the Class of
2002 in what is hoped to become an annual tradition. |
By
Matt Kelly
University
electrician Ralph Himelrick is retiring with a splash, or maybe
a flash.
His
last big project, the first-ever Lighting of the Lawn, consisted
of stringing 21,600 white light bulbs attached to about two miles
of wire around and along the pavilion columns and the top railing
of the balconies and balustrades, as well as outlining the pillars
at the Rotunda.
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2002
Class President Portman Wills (right) honors U.Va. electrician
Ralph Himelrick.
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The
lights were turned on Dec. 5 in an event that included tours of
pavilions for students and community members, a performance by
the Virginia Gentlemen, and basketball coach Pete Gillen reading
a student-written poem about an epic clash between the Grinch
and the Cavalier.
Portman
Wills, president of the Class of 2002, introduced Himelrick to
the crowd, which responded with cheers and sustained applause.
“I
was so pleased with all the work and with the crowd’s reaction
to Ralph,” Wills said the next day. “I saw Ralph this
morning and he was still teary-eyed.”
Wills
estimated the crowd at between 5,000 and 6,000, and said he was
happy with the mix of students and local people.
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“Twas
the Night Before Finals”
On
a December Wednesday
As the semester ends
We gather in Hooville
Greeting our friends
But
from up above Hooville,
A man, sinister green
Appeared on the Jumbotran
Glaring down from the screen
He
had heard that in Hooville
That December night
The Wahoos would make the Lawn
Sparkly and bright
He
pondered and wondered
And questioned and he thought
How to keep Hooville dark
So havoc could be wraught
Up
there on Hoovision,
Scratching his chin
He debated just where
He might choose to begin
He
snuck from the Stadium
Past all the new dorms
Past first-years on breaks
Hitting O'Hill in swarms
He
snuck through the graveyard
And down to the Dell
Tiptoed past the Castle
And the Ed School, as well
Through
Brown College haunts
And past Newcomb Hall
He slithered and slunk
And he hugged each brick wall
Meanwhile,
our hero
Readied his steed
For he knew, he just sensed
That Hooville was in need
The
Cavalier, perched
On the top of U-Hall
Saw the Grinch in the shadows
And sounded the call
Stately
he rode
Through the columns he pounded
And at Beta Bridge
A loud war cry resounded
For
the Grinch, nasty thing
Had stolen each light
He gathered them and
Down the Corner took flight
So
the Cavalier, ready
Made chase on his horse
He flashed off down Rugby
Hot on old Grinchy's course
Past
the Lucky Seven
He scoffed with a bellow
At the "Coming Soon" sign
(He's a humorous fellow)
Past
each student at Starbucks
Serenely sipping
Past Espresso Royale
With its warm coffee dripping
Past
the White Spot, past Arch's
Past Baja and then
He knew that ole' Grinchy was
At it again
Up,
up through the mountains
He and his mount flew
Monticello: NEXT STOP!
For the Cavalier knew
That
the Grinch would try stealing
Each light there as well
But as he rode up top
He heard a faint yell
He
caught that old Grinch
But they froze in midair
Something was coming
A noise from down there
They
strained hard to listen
And knew before long
That the Wahoos were singing
Their dear "Good Ole' Song"
The
Grinch hadn't stopped Wahoos
From chanting at all
They all joined together
The tall and the small
And
basketball players
Linked arms with the deans
They yelled, "Wa-hoo-wa,"
And you know what that means
It
means we are winners
It means we're a team
And it meant that the Grinch,
In his eye got a gleam
He
whistled the Cavalier's
Horse to his side
They hopped on together
And rode off astride
The
new friends returned
Just a few minutes after
And with help from the students
And a handy lights-crafter
They
hung up the lights
So they're ready to go
And now, babes and gents,
It is time for the show
The
Grinch and the Cavalier
Waved to Wahoos galore,
And slipped off to the side
Of the Lawn's open back door
And
they yelled, as together
They rode out of sight,
"Study hard, Wahoos,
But first. . .Let there be Light!"
Jenny
Rae Cortese
Lighting of the Lawn
December 5, 2001
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Himelrick,
67, has worked for the University for 131û2 years, coming here
as a union electrician after working a variety of construction
jobs in Maryland and Virginia.
“I
never had a better job,” he said. “I am so proud to
be here. Anyone who has had a job in the real world knows this
place is paradise. I leave with a lot of feelings.”
Himelrick
said while he supervised the crew putting up the lights, he avoided
going over in the evenings when they would test them, so he would
see them for the first time the night they were turned on for
the public. Himelrick’s crew, primarily Wayne Russell and
Shawn Wells, spent two weeks stringing lights on the Lawn.
The
project ballooned in the past two to three weeks, starting out
as a small event for fourth-year students that expanded to include
the entire University community.
Wills
noted that it had been a difficult semester at the University,
with the terror attacks, heightened at U.Va. because of connections
with the New York financial district and Washington, coupled with
the downturn in the job market as the fourth-year students are
looking for work.
“It’s
been a tough semester and we wanted something that would unify
everyone,” Wills said. “A joyful ending that would cement
everyone together.”
Although both Wills and Himelrick said a lot of work went into
the lights, both hope to see it become a U.Va. tradition.
“People
may have gotten behind it because they see it as a one-off, but
I would love to see it institutionalized,” Wills said.
Before
the holiday lights, Himelrick did a lot of work on the Lawn, rewiring
the pavilions as they were restored. J. Murray Howard, curator
and architect for the Academical Village, said Himelrick was a
wonderful person to work with during the extensive renovations
of the pavilions, and his expertise will be missed.
“I
hate to see him go,” Howard said, though he thought Lighting
the Lawn was a spectacular swan song. He said he had not seen
anything like it in his time at the University, and he believed
it had not been done at any time in the past.
The
Lawn will be lit in the evenings at least until the end of exams,
Jan 1.
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