Bulldog Walkway dedicated

See photos at FresnoStateNews.com Homecoming News page.

By Tom Uribes
University Communications

The Bulldog Walkway -- a new, permanent, on-campus tribute to Fresno State alumni, graduates and friends – was dedicated Oct. 27 on the north side of the Save Mart Center at Fresno State. The first three tiles honor Col. Rick Husband, Lt. Cmdr. Otis Vincent Tolbert and Todd Beamer.

Expected to eventually extend throughout the campus, the walkway will consist of personalized tiles and bricks that “will leave a lasting impression to those who hold Fresno State near and dear to their hearts,” said Dr. Peter Smits, vice president for University Advancement.

Culver Stone, director of Merrill Lynch for the Central Valley, which provided initial funding, joined Smits and Fresno State Alumni Association President John Gomes; Associated Students, Inc. President Molly Fagundes; Col. Joseph Brozena, commander of the Fresno State Air Force ROTC; and Jacqui Glasener, director of the Fresno State Alumni Association.

They cut a ceremonial ribbon surrounding the walkway with the first three plaques in honor of three fallen heroes who were once Bulldogs:

• USN Lt. Cmdr. Otis Vincent Tolbert (1985), who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the Pentagon in Washington D.C.;
• Todd Beamer, a Fresno State Alumnus who said “Let’s Roll!” aboard Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001; and
• USAF Col. Rick Husband (1990) commander of NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia, which disintegrated with her crew upon re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere on Feb. 1, 2003.

“The university is proud of these alumni,” Smits said. “They serve as heroes to our students and to our nation. We are honored to recognize them at Bulldog Walkway.”

Stone said Merrill Lynch company “is proud to be a part of Bulldog Walkway and the vision the Fresno State Alumni Association has for the walkway throughout the university.”

A year-and-a-half in the planning stages, the Bulldog Walkway project will eventually extend to the Smittcamp Alumni House and throughout the campus as a way to connect the colleges, schools and venues of Fresno State together, as well as to promote Bulldog loyalty, pride and spirit, Smits said.

The permanent display will sit at the north entrance of Fresno State’s new Save Mart Center.

Dedicated as part of Homecoming Week, Bulldog Walkway will feature three sizes of personalized pavers that will be available at $250, $500 and $1,000 levels:

• 10” red hexagon with three lines of text and 16 characters per line - $250 each;
• 16 X 16” tile with 12 lines of text and 28 characters per line - $500 each;
• 20 x 20” tile with 18 lines of text and 35 characters - $1,000.

Proceeds from Bulldog Walkway will benefit the Fresno State Alumni Association’s student scholarship endowment fund.

In 2004-05, the association will award 70 scholarships totaling $80,000 to students based upon academic achievement and financial need.

Fresno State leads all of the alumni associations on the 23 campuses of the CSU system with student scholarship giving, Glasener said.

For details about purchasing personalized pavers on Bulldog Walkway, call 8-2586 or visit the Fresno State Alumni Association online at www.fresnostatealumni.com.