Cavalier Corner

June 2019

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12 CAVALIER CORNER BY GREG WATERS W HEN UNIVERSITY HALL opened in 1965, the world was a very different place. The price for a gallon of regular gas was $0.31, a dozen eggs was $0.53, a gallon of milk was $0.95 and a first-class postage stamp was a nickel. The Dow Jones peaked at 969 that year, federal spending was $118.23 billion, inflation was a microscopic 1.6 percent and the cost of a new home averaged $21,500. "The Sound of Music" with Julie An- drews and Christopher Plummer received five Academy Awards, including Best Pic- ture and Best Director, "Bonanza" remained the most popular television series and on Nov. 13 when U-Hall opened, "I Hear a Symphony" by the Supremes topped the Billboard charts. Built for $4 million, the 8,392-seat arena hosted its first game on Dec. 4, 1965, a 99-73 loss to Kentucky. On March 5, 2006, the final basketball game — a 71-70 loss to Maryland — was played in the home of the Hoos. On May 25, 2019, a little after 10 a.m., director of athletics Carla Williams, UVA hoops greats Dawn Staley and Ralph Samp- son, and Virginia Board of Visitors member Robert Hardie engaged the ceremonial deto- nation plunger and moments later, U-Hall stood no longer. It is fitting that in the season Virginia se- cured its first NCAA men's basketball title, we say farewell to the building that became synonymous with Cavalier hoops. Preparation for the de- molition began in 2018 with the removal of toxic materials and asbestos. A c c o r d i n g t o J o s h u a Campbell, president of demolition experts Re- nascent, Inc., several peripheral buildings were brought down in advance of the im- plosion. "Those buildings have all come down me- chanically," he said. "They've come down MEMORY LANE Virginia Said Goodbye To Historic University Hall In May "That was a special building there. People should never forget the athletes that walked in that building and the memories should last forever." UVA GREAT RALPH SAMPSON PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA

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