Racism wrong, name relevant

I too found the exchange of letters between IU trustee Ora L. Wildermuth and President Herman B Wells when I did research for my book, “The Time and Place That Gave Me Life.”

I was writing about my experiences growing up in Indianapolis and attending IU in the mid 1950s. I came to IU in 1955. Had I come to campus four years earlier, I could not have lived on campus in the same dorm as white women.

In writing my book, I wanted to know why it took 15 years from the time Wells became president to complete the desegregation of IU’s campus. I discovered that one of the major obstacles was the IU Board of Trustees and its outspoken president Ora Wildermuth.

His racism cannot be justified by saying that he was speaking in a time when people had ideas different than the ones we have now.

There were plenty of people at that time who knew that erecting barriers to full participation by blacks at IU was wrong. Wells knew it, as did other members of the Board of Trustees.

I say Wildermuth’s name should remain on the Intramural Building, along with a plaque explaining his place in IU’s development. Let the world know the truth about IU’s history and the people the University honors.

Janet Cheatham Bell
IU alumna