By Ann Petersen, SBA Columnist | 04/23/26
(SBA) - I taught at Buena Vista University for twenty years, so you can imagine my delight when I went to my mailbox the other day and found a beautifully decorated box enclosing a book entitled THE SPIRIT OF BUENA VISTA UNIVERSITY: AS TOLD THROUGH THE SEASONS. It was a thank you gift, dedicated to” the alumni, faculty and friends of Buena Vista University who have shaped its legacy with learning, service and heart. May this collection of seasons reflect the strength of your impact and the enduring spirit that continues to guide BVU forward.”
The book begins with a timeline that notes important events from 1891 through 2025. “Buena Vista College was founded (in 1891) by the Presbyterian Church, and its name is taken in honor of ‘the substantial interest taken by the people of the County.” Reverend Loyall Y. Hayes, a Presbyterian minister, was the first president. He wrote at the time, “Everything that can be done to care for the health and morals of the students is provided in this beautiful little lakeside city. Here the quiet groves and parks, and the lake smiling in its purity, invites students to study and live purely.” The first classes were held in the Storm Lake Opera House in 1892 as the primary campus building, initially named “Central Hall” (but colloquially named soon after as “Old Main”) was built and dedicated on October 4, 1892. This building served as the hub of campus activity until 1956 when it was destroyed by fire. I have several friends who grew up in Storm Lake who remember well that fateful day as they watched students, staff and faculty rush in and out of the flaming building carrying books and official documents, the only items that could be saved from the fire. Thank goodness so much was rescued as the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools awarded full accreditation to the college in that same year.
The year 1913 marked the beginning of what was initially termed, “Hobo Days” when the college community collected and distributed food to the “hungry and homeless” in the community. By the time I joined the faculty in 1990, the name had been changed to “Buenafication Day” but the idea of the college community doing service to the town remained the same. The day is usually in April of each year when classes are cancelled and the school populace gathers in the football stadium to be assigned to various service tasks including cleaning up the many City parks, collecting trash and creating food baskets for the poor. The day always ends with a barbecue in front of the dining hall and serves as a welcome retreat for the college community to come together to serve the college and the community during the academic semester.
By 1921, the Buena Vista mascot, the “Beaver”, was in place. The football team, previously known as the “BVers” inspired a student to combine the nickname with a popular soft drink of the time “Bevo” to create the moniker, “Beavers.” Over the years, the mascot had names like “Mr. Chips,” Chipper,” and “Bucky” until in the 1980s, the name, “Buford T. Beaver” was adopted. Swag available in the bookstore from that time until the present included t-shirts, sweatshirts, knickknacks and stuffed animals each referencing “Buford T. Beaver.”
The 1950s and 1960s saw great changes to the college including the construction of Schaller Chapel, new residence halls, a science building, a physical education complex, a library, a campus center and a classroom-administration building (on the site of the destroyed “Old Main.”) In 1975, the college opened its first satellite campus in Ft, Dodge to serve the needs of non-traditional students, most often married and/or fully employed who could not travel to Storm Lake to complete their bachelor’s degrees. On main campus. the first group of students to make the trek to Shaller Chapel through the Victory Arch from the sports complex began in 1978. To this day, freshmen follow this same path and graduating seniors do the trek in reverse to the graduation ceremony in the Lamberti Center.
In 1980, an anonymous gift of $18 million offered a new era for the college. It was not until 1985 that the donor was revealed and the Harold Walter Siebern School of Business and the Siebens Forum were dedicated in his name. This gift built the foundation for a competitive endowment that supports construction, renovations and academic programs. During the next few years, when I was a new professor, the library complex was built, connecting much of the campus underground. Students could wear shorts, flip flops and T-shirts year-round if they could complete their academic and social obligations without having to go outside, regardless of the weather.
The next twenty years, including my whole tenure at the college, found many changes. In 1995, the college became a university with expanded academic programs and the introduction of graduate studies. In 2001, the $9.5 million Lamberti Recreation Center opened, featuring three multipurpose courts and the six-lane, 200-meter Dennis Young Indoor Track. In 2004, the Estelle Siebens Science Center was dedicated and the old science building (with my office on the third floor) was rededicated as the Social Sciences and Art Hall with an addition that became the Center for Ceramics and Sculpture. My son Andy spent a great deal of time there, earning his undergraduate, double-major degree in art and history. His roommate in graduate school at The University of Iowa, Dave Boelter, also received his undergraduate degree at BVU and, after completing his graduate studies, returned to the college as a professor where he remains until this day.
Buena Vista University was a great place to work and a great place for my son to earn his undergraduate degree. We both look forward to the bright future that the University will offer to the next generation of faculty and students.
