THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 8, 1996 TAG: 9610080008
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A16 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 41 lines
The unveiling of the new L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center at Norfolk State University was a very special show. But it was made poignant by the fact that it represented NSU President Harrison B. Wilson's swan song.
While the 1,900-seat, $10 million center is named for the first black governor of Virginia since Reconstruction, it is really a monument to Wilson's tenacity and dogged determination that his school should have what other major universities have: a first-class performing arts center.
Wilson, who will retire next July after 22 years at NSU, coaxed funds for the center out of Wilder during a trip to Africa.
``He twisted my arm,'' Wilder recalled this weekend. ``Harrison Wilson is a politician. He's very understated and very low-key. But he's a man who fights for his cause.''
Funding for the center was included in a bond referendum approved during the Wilder administration. The fact that the center was included was surprising, given Wilder's bare-bones approach to state finances. Wilder was at odds with supporters of higher education during his four years in office because the governor refused to raise taxes to increase spending on schools.
Although the Wilder Center opened too late for a full performance calendar this year, the university will be able to proudly show off this elegant, state-of-the-art concert hall with its shimmering array of Italian crystal chandeliers and plush seating for the rest of this year. Its first full season will begin next autumn.
When NSU's Wilder Performing Arts Center was unveiled last weekend it became the latest gem in Norfolk's burgeoning performing-arts community. It is a most welcome addition to the Harrison Opera House, Chrysler Hall, Scope and the Wells Theater. The revitalization of downtown Norfolk is dependent to some extent upon the success of all of these venues.
As the Wilder Center finds its place in the local arts community, it is hoped that music, dance and theater lovers will buy tickets and fill its seats - proving that President Harrison B. Wilson was right when he insisted that the performing-arts center would be good for the school and for the city. by CNB