EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — University of Oregon officials have settled on a new name for a dormitory formerly named after a Ku Klux Klan leader.
President Michael Schill stated in his Tuesday memo to the UO Board of Trustees that he wants the building to bear the name of the first black man to graduate from UO’s architecture school, DeNorval Unthank Jr., The Register-Guard reported.
He went on to design buildings in Eugene, Ore., including the university’s McKenzie Hall. He died in 2000.
“I think ahead to the freshmen who will eagerly unpack belongings into Unthank Hall and who will be inspired by this tremendous man to make their own lasting impact at our university, state and nation,” Schill wrote.