WILDWOOD'S FATE SEALED AS ALUMNI CENTER

Situated in a scenic wooded area on the Southeast Missouri State University campus, Wildwood is a Cape Girardeau landmark.

The oldest part of the house was built in the late 1800s -- part of a farm outside the city then.

The house was purchased by the university in 1922. At that time, Wildwood was just a small, abandoned building formerly used for wine-making, but it was remodeled and became a fine home.

University presidents lived in the house for generations. It gave those associated with the university a sense of place and of pride.

But Wildwood's purpose is about to change.

The university's regents have approved a new Wehking Alumni Center to be built within yards of the house, no longer home to university presidents and now used primarily for entertaining.

The current university president, Dr. Ken Dobbins, has chosen to keep his residence elsewhere in the community.

To be constructed south and slightly east of Wildwood, the new center will be designed to blend in both architecturally and, perhaps later, to become a part of the landmark home.

The center will house the office of alumni services and the University Foundation. The new two-story, 7,000-square-foot building will include space for storage and room for office expansion if the need arises.

It will be constructed entirely with private donations.

The late Aleen Wehking willed $645,000 to the project, and Earl and Marjorie Holland of Fort Myers, Fla., donated another $300,000.

That leaves $255,000 to be raised, no doubt from the alumni who would use the center.

Certainly, the new center will be better than the current one, which once was used to assist the area's migrant workers before that program moved to the Bootheel.

Regents president Don Dickerson said building the new center next to Wildwood would allow for future presidents to use the home as a residence.

But let's be realistic. Putting a working alumni center, complete with offices and staff, next to Wildwood pretty much kills any thought of a university president moving in.

No doubt, nostalgic Cape Girardeans will miss driving by Wildwood and thinking, "There's where Dr. Stacy lives!" or "There's where Dr. Stroup lives!"

The historic home will become another campus building. Let's hope the beauty of the setting can be preserved.