Herbert P. Blake Hall Dedication Ceremony (2006)

October 20, 2006

The video shows the dedication ceremony that occurred on October 20, 2006 for the Herbert P. Blake Hall on the campus of Springfield College. Jim Walsh, the chairman of the College Board of Trustees, starts off by giving a brief introduction to the past of the building, which includes the fact that years ago the building was not owned by Springfield College. It was called the Standard Electric Time Company and was used to make clocks and electrical equipment. Walsh then introduces the president of Springfield College, who at the time was Richard B. Flynn. Flynn says a few words before introducing S. Presley Blake and Helen Davis Blake, who donated two million dollars towards the renovation of the building. The building was named after them. The ceremony then shifts outside, where the new plaque that sits in front of the building and reads Herbert P. Blake Hall is revealed. There are then many group photos taken with the plaque along with an interview outside with the Blake's. During the outside portion of the ceremony, conversations can be heard between people who are at the dedication ceremony in the background. Herbert P. Blake Hall building was purchased by Springfield College from the Standard Electric Time Company in 1990. The building was split into two distinct sections, the Living Center and, eventually, the academic section, with classrooms and offices. The entire building measured 120,000 square feet. The Living Center side of the building was renovated and opened for student residential living in 1990. In 2000-2001, Blake Hall was renovated with the goal of returning all traditional undergraduate programs to the main campus. In 2002, Springfield College president Richard Flynn temporarily named the building Wilbraham Hall because of the building’s location on Wilbraham Avenue. On October 16, 2006, Springfield College announced that S. Prestley Blake and Helen Davis Blake contributed $2 million to support the college through its fundraising campaign, titled Leadership for the 21st Century: The Campaign for Springfield College. It was also announced that Wilbraham Hall would be changed to Herbert P. Blake Hall in honor of S. Prestley Blake’s father. The donation of $2 million is one of the largest single donations in school history. S. Prestley Blake is the co-founder of the Friendly’s Ice Cream Corporation, and Helen Davis Blake was vice chair of the college’s board of trustees and co-chair of its funding campaign. Herbert P. Blake had worked for the Standard Electric Time Company Building as the vice president in charge of sales for several years. The dedication ceremony of Herbert P. Blake Hall took place on October 20, 2006. Now, Herbert P. Blake Hall comprises around 60,000 square feet of classrooms, study areas, academic departments of visual and performing arts, faculty offices, conference rooms, art studios, The Blizard Art Gallery, Springfield College School of Human Services, a videoconferencing room, the Alden Center for Interactive Learning, emergency medical services management, physician assistant, sport management and recreation, and social sciences.