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Dick Walls, owner of the Old Heidelberg, has donated nearly
4,000 bricks from the building’s original façade
to raise money for the University of Missouri Hotel and
Restaurant Management (HRM) program. Each brick features
an affixed brass plaque that lists the restaurant’s
name and dates of business, and a certificate of authenticity.
Jim Curley photo
The October 2003 issue of @Mizzou
included reader stories about the Heidelberg. View
story. |
Take
Home a Piece
of the ‘Berg
By Jason Jenkins
For generations of University of Missouri-Columbia
students, the Old Heidelberg Restaurant epitomized the quintessential
campus watering hole.
Only a stone’s throw from MU’s
famed Columns and the world’s first school of journalism,
the “’Berg,” was the place to gather with friends,
forget about term papers and exams, and cheer the Tigers to victory.
But on the morning of Aug. 18, 2003 —
a week before classes were to resume — a three-alarm blaze
destroyed the campus landmark. For the first time in 40 years,
MU students began the school year without the Heidelberg.
Though the building may be gone, all those
who carry a piece of the ’Berg in their hearts now can carry
a piece of the tavern away for their mantles. Dick Walls, owner
of the Old Heidelberg, has donated nearly 4,000 bricks from the
building’s facade to raise money for the MU Hotel
and Restaurant Management (HRM) program.
“We had hoped to incorporate the façade
in the new building,” said Walls, who opened the ’Berg
with two partners in 1963. “When we learned that wasn’t
possible, and knowing finances aren’t the best at the University
right now, I thought it’d be a way we could help.”
“When Dick asked if we wanted the bricks,
we were thrilled,” said Sylvia Gaiko, HRM associate professor
and director of undergraduate programs and industry relations.
“For him to think of us with everything else going on; I
can’t find the words to express how much he means to the
program.”
The HRM program at MU trains students for
careers in the hospitality industry, one of the fastest growing
industries in the United States. The program combines skills in
business, finance, marketing and communications to prepare students
for lodging, food service and attraction management.
HRM is one of the fastest-growing programs
in the College of Agriculture,
Food and Natural Resources, and it ranks as the college’s
second-largest degree program by total number of undergraduate
students.
Walls said that the program’s management-driven
approach sets it apart from other hospitality programs. Walls’
son Richard Jr., who helps run the family businesses with his
other son Rusty, is a graduate of the program.
“So many people get into the business
without knowing anything about what it takes to succeed,”
he said. “You might be the best chef or the best bartender,
but unless you have skills in accounting, business and personnel
management, you’re going to fail. MU’s HRM program
provides its graduates with those skills.”
Walls’ support of the program dates
back to 1971 when he played a role in its creation. Since then,
he has volunteered on the HRM Industry Advisory Board, donated
money for equipment and building projects, provided students with
internships in his restaurants and resort, and endowed a scholarship
in memory of his late wife, Joyce.
“Dick’s been one of our biggest
advocates since the very beginning, and he works fervently to
ensure that we receive industry support,” Gaiko said. “If
he hears we need something, he never asks how much. He just says
‘do it and send us the bill.’”
The ’Berg bricks are available with
a tax-deductible, $30 donation to the HRM program, plus $15 shipping
and handling. Each brick features an affixed brass plaque listing
the restaurant’s name and dates of business, and a certificate
of authenticity.
Proceeds from the brick fundraiser will support
a variety of needs in the HRM program, Gaiko said. “The
fund will allow us to purchase new educational materials and industry-specific
journals and software, subsidize student trips to industry association
meetings, provide new scholarships, and hire additional adjunct
faculty support.”
Construction on the “new” Old
Heidelberg is underway, and Walls hopes to open in time for fall
classes. The décor and color scheme of the 5,200-square-foot
restaurant will resemble the original, including the ’Berg’s
familiar wooden booths and Tigers memorabilia. The facility will
feature larger restrooms, a larger kitchen, and an all-new roof-top
patio.
“I’m looking forward to being
open again just as much as people want us to be open again,”
Walls said. “I know it’s been a while, but hopefully
the last class hasn’t been held there.”
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned, though
a date has not been set.
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Last Update:
March 12, 2007
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