Written by Aaron-Michael Fox.

Fall 2024 will see Marshall University’s 54th class to enter since the devastating crash of Southern Airways Flight 932 on November 14, 1970.

The Memorial Fountain being installed Nov. 12, 1972. Photo by Lew Harford.

For many in the Marshall community, that rainy night on a hill southwest of Huntington feels like yesterday. But time marches on for all of us; and while it’s hard to believe, enough time has passed that the fountain memorializing that event was added to the National Register of Historic Places in July 2024.

While most monuments and commemorative sculptures are not eligible for the Historic Register, the Marshall Memorial Fountain was added for its age and artistic significance to world history.

The fountain, dedicated in November 1972, was the culmination of almost two years of work by a committee of Marshall community members who were determined to do something impactful to keep the memory fresh in the minds of future generations.

Harry Bertoia at the unveiling of the Memorial Fountain Nov. 12, 1972. Photo by Lew Harford.

Marshall’s bronze and copper fountain stands 13 feet above its base and weights roughly 6,500 lbs. It has become a fixture on campus for generations of Thundering Herd students. The fountain was created by Italian-American Harry Bertoia, known internationally for his abstract sculptures. Bertoia’s sculptures have been featured in the Smithsonian, the New York Museum of Modern Art, and the 1964 New York World’s Fair, among others.

Bertoia famously said the sculpture was intended to symbolize “the living, rather than commemorating Death itself, in the waters of life, rising, renewing, reaching to express upward growth, immortality, and eternity.”

According to West Virginia writer and historian Cody Straley, earlier generations of Marshall students took Bertoia’s words literally and would regularly wade in the fountain with even a few baptisms being held there. MU leadership has since prohibited that.

Debra McDanald inside the Memorial Fountain in the 1970s. Photo by Phil Samuell.

The shape of the fountain has been debated for decades, with many calling it a “tulip,” but Bertoia said it was intended to represent a “chalice full of sacred liquid.”

Today, the Memorial Fountain is a familiar gathering spot for Marshall students, staff, alumni, community members, and visiting tourists. It is a comfortable space to self-reflect and rejuvenate within the Kelly Green Universe. Turning the fountain on in April and off in November have become annual events that are considered rites of passage for new students and fans.

The fountain is regularly featured as a symbol of the University on T-shirts, signs, postcards, and social media. It was featured prominently in the 2006 Warner Bros. motion picture “We Are Marshall.”