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To Those Who Fell in Love at ISU Bench

To Those Who Fell in Love at ISU Bench - Front View

Artist

Unknown

Title

To Those Who Fell in Love at ISU Bench

Year

2010

Acquisition Category

Donation

Artwork Type

Bench

Artwork Material

Stone

Designation

N/A

Artwork Location

Visibility

Outdoor

Location

Bowling and Billiards Center (BBC)

Location Description

Outside the Bowling and Billiards Center near the main entrance

Campus Zone

North

ISU Artwork Map

Donor

N/A

Identification Plaque

To Those Who Fell in Love at ISU

Description

Lisa Rinkenberger and Matt Walsh started dating in the 1980s while studying at ISU. During a summer night in 1981, on a bench outside the Bone Student Center, they had their first kiss. The romance between Rinkenberger (’81, M.S. family and consumer sciences ’84) and Walsh (speech communication ’84) flourished and the two married on December 14, 1985. After moving to Chicago, they took annual trips to Normal until one time they couldn’t find it. Approaching their 25th wedding anniversary, Walsh contacted campus Facilities Services, and in 2010, he took Rinkenberger to Normal to unveil the stone bench with the engraving “To Those Who Fell in Love at ISU.” The bench has become a popular spot for proposals and wedding photos. “We just feel really grateful to have such a special landmark right outside of the Bone Student Center,” said ISU Event Management, Dining, & Hospitality Assistant Director Erin Watts. “We’re grateful to Matt and Lisa that they shared their story with us in such a meaningful way. It’s just a really fun part of Illinois State’s history.”

Reference Source

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