Honor society unveils class markers

Recreated class markers, a gift from all-university honor society Skull and Dagger, were unveiled on Wednesday along Alumni Walk, which extends from Ronald Tutor Campus Center to Trousdale Parkway.

The markers represent the senior class gifts to the university. The stone squares are engraved with the year of that graduating class and come in an array of designs.

During university renovations that involved demolition and reconstruction around the area, many markers from the first half of the 20th century went missing. The only surviving original marker is from the year 1925, and it was salvaged by Bing Cherrie, a former associate vice president who found it in the rubble.

“I worked for the university in a lot of areas, [including] campus development,” Cherrie said. “I was kind of surprised that [the class marker] was left in the rubble, and it seemed to be in need of saving.”

Shane Swerdlow, a 2010 USC graduate from the Marshall School of Business and the Price School of Policy Policy, was involved in executing the project. Swerdlow said that each class marker has its own unique design.

Swerdlow also said the Worthy Grand Master of Skull and Dagger Jerry Papazian came up with the idea to salvage the class markers. Papazian noted the gift was also part of commemorating the organization.

“We’re celebrating our 100th year this year, and we thought as part of that we would present a gift to the school,” Papazian said during the unveiling.

The markers are replacements of the original pieces, which were presented at the time of each class’ graduation.

According to Swerdlow, it is impossible to know if the tiles are exact replicas because the designers could only build replicas based on black-and-white photographs. The photographs are from the first generation of class markers, which range from 1897-1936, were taken at the south elevation of Founders Hall. That area would later become the Mark Taper Hall of Humanities.

“The remaining first-generation class markers are contemporary reproductions that reference the design and overall arrangement of the originals at Founders Hall,” Swerdlow said.

Swerdlow attempted to get the closest possible matches, however, by photographing areas inside Doheny Library. They viewed the photos in black and white and then matched the shades of gray from Doheny with the coloring in the original photo of the markers.

Vice President for Student Affairs Michael L. Jackson also noted the significance of renovating the markers and said it completed an important part of the Ronald Tutor Campus Center.

“When we were designing [the] Campus Center, we had a couple things in mind,” Jackson said. “We wanted to design a facility that fit in with the tradition of USC. As we were working with the design, we had to decide what to do with this space and we said, ‘let’s call it Alumni Walk.’”

Swerdlow said the tiles are not placed symmetrically, but more abstractly and “playfully,” similar to their original design. The markers, which are divided into three panels, represent three different generations of Trojans and are diverse in their mineral makeups.

“This really represents the past, the present and the future,” Jackson said. “It’s not just history, it’s art.”

Swerdlow also emphasized that the additional adornment will add to the university’s ethos by showing off history to future generations.

“At USC, we have such a distinctive cultural identity that is unparalleled by any other university and reinforced through our unique traditions,” Swerdlow said. “Preserving forgotten traditions like the first-generation class markers … only enhances this culture.”