University Memorial Center Turns 60

Vets honored in campus hub

Sixty years ago, the UMC opened as a living memorial to honor the service and sacrifice of all Colorado veterans. In the years that followed, students came to eat, shop and meet with friends, but it was not until 1976 when the student veterans association, along with the UMC Board, established a Veterans Lounge.

Yet, many do not realize CU’s first Memorial Student Union building, now Economics, was completed in 1931 as a tribute to 55 CU veterans who fought and died in World War I. Their names are engraved in the northwest entrance foyer. Outside, the word “Memoria” is etched in stone.

After World War II, a growing student population quickly outgrew the first memorial building. While plans were under way for the UMC, Colorado Gov. Lee Knous (Law’11) expanded the university’s original focus to include all Colorado veterans who gave their lives in both world wars. 

Today, UMC director Carlos Garcia keeps updated memorial plaques on the Veterans Lounge walls with the names of nearly 1,000 Colorado veterans who have died since World War I. This includes 83 in World War II, 151 in Korea, 595 in Vietnam, four in the Persian Gulf, 34 in Afghanistan and 75 in Iraq.

“We owe it to all citizens of Colorado to help us remember that freedom does not always come free,” Garcia says. 

Photo from Coloradan yearbook 1954