The St. Olaf College campus is peppered with gold-colored Adirondack chairs this time of year, and we all – students, faculty and staff – use them. This spring we have two new chairs, a little different from the others, but even more wonderful because they come with a story.
About a year ago a colleague in our building passed away. He cleaned out his office one Friday afternoon and co-workers teased him asking “why?” and “are you not coming back?” Well, he didn’t come back. He had a heart attack Saturday morning and died a few days later. This week two Adirondack chairs were dedicated in his honor.
The rest of the story comes from the wood used to make the chairs. Apparently he saved a pile of wood from a deck he dismantled years ago. He thought the wood was too good to be thrown out. He kept saying some day I’m going to make something from it. He and his family moved the wood pile several times from house to house, much to his wife’s chagrin. After he passed away a friend contacted St. Olaf and wondered if anything could be done with the wood. It was decided chairs could be built in his honor. His wife thought it was a great idea and when she saw how beautifully they turned out she quipped that she now wants the wood back.
The chairs have been placed outside our building, but who knows how long they will stay there…our students move these chairs all over campus and that is a good thing. These Adirondack chairs are a wonderful addition to St. Olaf’s landscape in spring, summer and fall.
This reminds me of the verse in Ecclesiastes… He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Valeria, I adore this story. What a great idea to recycle that deck wood into Adirondack chairs to honor your co-worker and friend.
But I want to know when and why the first Adirondack chairs were placed on campus.
My grandpa had two white Adirondack chairs in his backyard. So every time I see one, I think of him.
I asked a colleague who has been at St. Olaf over 30 years but she didn’t know why or when the Adirondack chairs were introduced to campus…but they are nostalgic aren’t they?
If I find out any more info I’ll let you know.