Governor George E. Pataki will return to Cornell tomorrow for Homecoming festivities — and for the football game against his alma mater, Yale University.
While visiting Cornell, an encore visit following Homecoming last year, Pataki will greet President Hunter R. Rawlings III at Day Hall and then proceed to Bailey Hall for an historic occasion.
At noon on the Bailey steps Pataki will stand before a Cornell landmark and officially grant the University a $10.6 million contribution toward the Bailey Hall renovation. Following the improvement project, the auditorium will be fitted with a new air conditioning system, new audio/video units, improved seating and aesthetic additions.
“The Governor’s visit provides us with an excellent opportunity to thank him for his personal intervention with the State University Construction Fund,” said Henrik N. Dullea ’61, vice president of University relations.
Pataki, according to Dullea, took exceptional interest in the Bailey Hall project and assured the University that the building’s development would wait no longer.
The entire renovation project for Bailey Hall will cost $13.1 million. Matching the state’s contribution, Cornell is offering a $2.5 million gift courtesy of George Cornell, a presidential councilor of the University, and his late wife Harriet.
The event is open to the public, and the Big Red Marching Band will be on hand outside Bailey Hall prior to Pataki’s appearance.
Archived article by Matthew Hirsch