By Ana Breton

Sen. Bob Bennett remembers the day the Union opened its doors 50 years ago.

It was New Year’s Day and the former president of the Associated Students of the University of Utah had a bad case of the flu.

Bennett presented the “State of the Campus” address, cut the ribbon, then “went home and collapsed,” he said.

The Republican senator reminisced about his former U student days via a pre-recorded video during the Union’s rededication on Thursday in the same place he dedicated it half a century ago: the ballroom.

“Back then, the Union was a big deal because it was a significant expansion to the campus,” Bennett said. “Now it’s the heart of it.”

When the Union opened 50 years ago, there was no computer lab in its basement, no shuttles running to and from it and the building was a little less crowded.

The student population was up to 9,400 (nearly one-third of the 28,000 today), and back then the Union was equipped with an old-fashioned barbershop.

University of Utah President Michael K. Young also spoke during the celebration, which featured a slideshow comparing the building today with what it looked like 50 years ago.

“The Union is a place where students laugh together and cry together,” President Young said. “But mainly, it’s a place where we celebrate students.”

The students who attended the celebration ranged from the current Union Programming Council members to the Utonian yearbook staff from 50 years ago, most members of which were wearing their vintage letterman jackets from when they were students at the U.

President Young paid special tribute to these alumni because they essentially had a part in building the Union. Because of low funding, the former administration asked students to donate money so the Union could be built, a project that took 35 years to complete.

“They even had to go door to door because the administration didn’t have enough money to build it,” President Young said. “It was a pay-as-we-build, build-as-we-pay policy.”

Marsha Herman-Betzen, executive director of the Association of College Unions International, also saluted the building during the formal dinner event.

“By looking back, we celebrate the Union with satisfaction and pride,” Herman-Betzen said. “And if anything, we salute this building for its longevity.”

The building was the 27th student union in the United States when it was built in 1957.

“Whether you are part of the faculty, staff or student population, may you continue tradition by connecting through this building,” she said. “And may the Union continue to serve as a constant reminder of learning both in and out of the classroom.”

Eric Hu, executive director of the Union Programming Council, said he has been molded by the connections he has made through the Union.

“The person I have become has not been determined by my career, but by the friendships I’ve made here over the years,” Hu said.

Tyler Cobb

Chris and Sandra Maxwell look over old photos and newspapers at the Union’s 50th anniversary dinner on Friday. Chris Maxwell has worked in the Union for 21 years.

Kim Peterson

Ila Anderson Bishop, editor of the 1957 Utonian (the U’s former yearbook) enjoys dinner with fellow 1957 graduates at the Union’s 50th anniversary dinner Friday night.

Kim Peterson

Various appetizers celebrating the last five decades lined the Union Ballroom’s corridor as part of the Union’s 50th anniversary dinner last Friday.