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July 06, 2009, 10:26 AM ET
Highlighting (Rather Than Hiding) a Cemetery Near Minot State U.
A story in the Grand Forks Herald reminds the college administrator of the virtues of a great location — and the challenges of making a bad one better.
Minot State University, in North Dakota, is situated next to a cemetery that is the resting place of early settlers of the area and those who helped found the college. Minot State officials have not always been thrilled about this tie to history, the story notes.
One past president pondered planting trees to obscure the view. A state legislator suggested all the graves in the cemetery be moved elsewhere. Current MSU president David Fuller informed him that the university would have to get permission from the relatives of every person buried in the cemetery. The legislator thought the law should be changed so it would be easier to move the cemetery away from MSU property.
Mr. Fuller has decided to try to make the best of it.
The cemetery is to be fenced off with an ornamental fence and the access to the cemetery improved for people who want to visit a grave or stroll through the grounds, he said. Future improvements might include a walking path near the cemetery with statuary or information about the people buried there and the contributions they made.
A Minot State University graduate is researching the history and lives of the people in the cemetery. First Lutheran Church officials are working with Minot State to fix up the cemetery in time for its upcoming [100th] anniversary celebration.
The plans extend to setting up statues of historical figures throughout the campus and celebrating the region with native plantings. (The story says that Minot State is looking forward, too, by considering the installation of a $17-million geothermal system.)
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