Leave it to Jon Pactor—the creative mind behind the College’s W.A.B.A.S.H. Day service weekend and this year’s “Wally at the Wheel” Alumni Symposium—to imagine a new way to honor both civil conversation and the Wabash man who personified it, the late Vic Powell.
Speaking to a gathering in the Scarlet Inn in March, Pactor said he wanted to show his appreciation for Vic, but couldn’t afford to endow a professorship, usually called a “chair” at the College. So he did the next best thing; he bought a real chair for the round table at the Inn—where Vic enjoyed conversation with his colleagues for more than five decades—and had it inscribed with a plaque honoring Vic.
The Inn was packed for the dedication of The Dr. Vic Powell Chair of Intelligent and Respectful Conversation, with Marion Powell and her daughter, Carol, the guests of honor.
“I just want to tell you all how important Vic thought it was to be in here,” Mrs. Powell said. “He thought it was important to meet with colleagues. You found out what students and faculty were thinking about, and that was a very important part of the day. He was proud to be an inn-sitter, and now he’s going to have his own special chair. Thank you, Jon, and all of you.’
Vic’s daughter, Carol, added: “When Dad would come home at lunch, the first question was, ‘Who was at the Inn, and what did you discuss?’ It wasn’t hello or you’re home, but we’d ask about the things that happened here. That was the way we greeted Daddy.”