Memorial Drive stretches from West Campus Road east to Mississippi Street and contains six tributes to fallen Jayhawk soldiers. Thousands of students walk past or on the road daily but may not be aware of the rich past it possesses.
Prescott Deckinger | KUJH Multimedia Journalist
Vietnam War Memorial
The first war memorial from the drive’s West entrance is the Vietnam War Memorial, and it rests between Memorial Drive and West Campus Drive, near Jayhawk Boulevard. The memorial was dedicated on May 25, 1986, and celebrates the lives of the 59 KU students and alumni who lost their lives in America’s longest war.
Korean War Memorial
The Korean War Memorial is the second tribute, and its distinctive design of intertwining cranes represents birth, happiness, and peace. It was dedicated on April 16, 2005, and honors the approximately 60 students, staff and alumni who died in the conflict.
World War II Memorial Campanile
The easiest memorial to spot on the drive is the Campanile, and its towering 120-foot frame is a landmark all Jayhawks recognize. Its 53 bells ring out as a reminder of the 277 KU men and women who gave their lives during World War II and was dedicated on May 27, 1951.
World War I Memorials
Depicting a female bald eagle defending her young, the Victory Eagle spreads its proud wings as a tribute to the 129 KU students, alumni, and staff who gave the ultimate sacrifice in World War I. It was dedicated on May 20, 2019, and isn’t the only memorial dedicated to World War I.
Memorial Union
The Kansas Memorial Union sits at the end of Mississippi Street, and its red bricks have honored the fallen of the First World War for nearly a decade. Nearly 3,000 students, soldiers, faculty, and staff attended the Union’s first ceremony on April 30, 1926, when the cornerstone of the building was placed.
Memorial Stadium
The last memorial is easily the largest, and while students frequent its storied walls during home football games, many don’t know it serves another purpose than providing entertainment.
David Booth Memorial Stadium was the first memorial to grace campus as it was dedicated on Nov. 22, 1922.
“I walk past the stadium every single night and I never even knew it was a memorial,” Bret Weber, junior at KU said.
For over 100 years, Memorial Stadium has stood as a source of passion and lifeblood for Jayhawk fans.
The stadium’s renovation and expansion will usher in a new chapter of sports entertainment, as well as enhance its tribute to fallen World War I soldiers.
John Wilkins, a managing principal at the architecture practice, Multistudio, has been working closely with the University to ensure the stadium preserves its decade of history.
“I think retaining the history of the University as a whole and of those individuals that served is a really important and powerful story,” Wilkins said. “I want to help them develop something that will propel the University in the future.”
The stadium’s future is in great hands with Wilkins at the helm of its new design, and when its construction is finally finished, students will be able to truly understand its importance in remembering the past.
