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LET’S GLOW!

A beloved holiday tradition returns to campus

By West Virginia University

November 17^th, 2025

Once upon a time, Woodburn Hall shone as a beacon against the early sunsets and chilly nights of the darkest time of the year.

That hopeful glow returns December 2 (2025), when the Mountaineer holiday season will again kick off with a ceremony to celebrate the lighting of the most recognizable West Virginia University landmark.

“Woodburn will shine once again, bringing generations of Mountaineers together in the warm glow of tradition,” WVU President Michael T. Benson proudly proclaimed in his first State of the University speech in October.

Mountaineers are a family, and like most families, we have our own holiday traditions. The Woodburn Hall transformation has (literally) been one of the brightest.

‘I heard on the roof the prancing and pawing of each little hoof’ — “A Visit from Saint Nicholas”

Woodburn Hall has seen a lot — from a post-apocalyptic appearance in the Fallout 76 video game to popping up as the background image in marketing materials for a recent Hallmark movie.

And that’s not even taking into consideration the thousands of students and faculty who’ve spent time in its classrooms, as the building has been home to nearly every WVU school or college over the years.

Named New Hall (not the most original decision) when it was built in 1876, it has at some point hosted the WVU library, The Athenaeum student newspaper, and the WVU Cadet Corps. The first female WVU students took classes here, agriculture students tried unsuccessfully to garden out in the Circle, and commencements were held up on the 3rd floor. In 1901, the structure was christened with the name we know it by. Shortly before 1900, the College of Arts and Sciences settled in.

It’s hard to imagine campus without Woodburn Circle, but by 1950, the time ticking away on the Seth Thomas clock on the tower had taken its toll, and Woodburn Hall narrowly avoided demolition! It was seen as obsolescent in the 1960s, and plans were made to tear down the site of thousands of future photo ops. But in 1973, it became the first WVU structure on the National Register of Historic Places.

Renovations followed, hopefully fixing issues such as those of Dennis O’Brien of the History Department, who found that it snowed in his office, even with the windows closed. Apparently, working in your own personal snow globe wasn’t very comfortable.

An archived photo of the lighted Woodburn Hall clock tower.

An archived photo of Woodburn Hall lit up in its holiday glory.

Decking the (Woodburn) hall

A Woodburn Hall lighting ceremony was first held in 1987. The effect of having white lights outline the windows, clock tower, and 3rd story roof lines was instantly magical.

According to Becky Lofstead (’76, journalism), who spent years as the director of WVU News and Information Services, “As I recall, it started with the leadership of Vice President for Institutional Advancement Ed Flowers (under then-President Neil Bucklew). Judge Flowers was very forward-thinking and always looking for ways to bring the University community together. He and others were looking for a way to celebrate the season for students, faculty, and staff, and involve the community. Woodburn Hall is such an iconic building and in such a beautiful setting that it made sense to decorate it and hold an outdoor celebration in the Circle.”

She added, “We invited the University Choral Ensemble or a local choir to perform, as well as involved the crowd in singing carols. It was always a breathtaking sight as Woodburn Hall glowed against the night sky.” Hot cocoa, cider, and cookies were served, and often a young patient from WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s would be chosen to flip the switch, turning the lights on.

As a WVU press release for the 2000 event perfectly stated, “Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, or no holiday at all, December is traditionally a time for family and friends and promoting peace on earth.”

‘All their windows were dark …’ — “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”

Every year the WVU family looked forward to getting shivers and goosebumps from more than the cold temperatures as a glowing Woodburn Hall welcomed the holiday season, with the lights staying on well into January to cheer Mountaineers returning from their holiday break.

A Daily Athenaeum story in November 2007 reported that the approximately 7,000 miniature white lights remained lit for 40 days after the ceremony and were permanently placed on the building but taken down every 2 years for maintenance.

In 2011, the holiday lights were removed for good when the exterior of Woodburn received a $3.9 million overhaul. Work included a new roof, restored stonework, new copper-lined gutters, and restoration of architectural wood elements. A press release reported, “This year, LED lights will wash over the building, scattering shafts of gold and blue before changing to white in mid-January to begin a new tradition to highlight the iconic building year-round.” And the lighting ceremony was discontinued.

While still festive, this energy-efficient effect didn’t create the same deep emotional response from the WVU “Whos down in Whoville.” Chris Tarabella, who worked in the Eberly College’s dean’s office, believes that people felt the LED lighting “didn’t feel appropriate to the tradition.”

By 2015, students tried to spark a movement to return to the original style of lights. A November 11, 2015, Daily Athenaeum article mentioned that biology student Layne Veneri tweeted a picture of Woodburn Hall with the hashtag-full comment “Hey #WVU, you should start lighting up Woodburn like this again for the Holiday Season ... #RelightWoodburn.”

In the DA, student-writer Jordan Miller noted that “After 346 retweets, 407 favorites, and having an impression on more than 56,000 Twitter users, the idea to relight Woodburn left social media and gained traction in the real world, with the Student Government Association unanimously passing a resolution in support of the movement.” Alas, the 2015 wish for the re-lighting was not to be.

WVU students and members of the Morgantown community take part in the Woodburn LED light up in December 2011.

WVU students and members of the community gather for the Woodburn LED lighting in 2010.

‘We need a little Christmas, right this very minute!’ — “We Need a Little Christmas”

Fast forward about 10 years, and WVU and its new president happily announced that, “Thanks to the generosity of Huntington Bank and Northeast Natural Energy, lights will adorn the most recognizable building on the Downtown area of campus this holiday season for the first time in more than a decade.”

President Michael T. Benson saw a photo of Woodburn Hall when it was lit up in the original style and wondered why it no longer took place. As a historian, he understands the importance of events like this: “Traditions can last for centuries, and common experiences tie us together.”

The President remembered from his student days at Oxford that only senior members and fellows of the colleges could walk on the lawns, and at Notre Dame the front steps to the 2nd floor of the Main Building couldn’t be used by a student until after they graduate. When he was president at Eastern Kentucky University, students rubbed the toe of a Daniel Boone statue for good luck before exams.

He reflected, “We lost a lot of traditions to Covid and need a unifying event like this. Colleges often take their host communities for granted, overlooking how events like move-in day can disrupt local life. Traditions have to be real, and they have to resonate. What better way to say ‘thank you’ than sharing an iconic kick start to the holiday?”

Hanukkah is the festival of lights … we have 8 crazy nights.’ — “The Hanukkah Song”

Before the heart of campus is outfitted for its festival of lights, a lot of elves have to work behind the scenes. John Thompson, the WVU executive director for planning, design, and construction, explained, “This project is extremely challenging. In 2011, the old holiday lights were removed when the exterior of Woodburn Hall underwent a full historic restoration. The craftsmanship used to restore the historic exterior details is exceptional, and the installation must be done thoughtfully.

“WVU is pursuing 2 approaches with the goal of matching the traditional look as much as possible. For this year, we will install temporary, conventional string-and-bulb holiday lights with warm-white LED bulbs. These are like those you would install on your home, only a commercial version. The attachment method for the temporary lights will probably be a combination of clips, anchors, and hot glue.

“For the long term, WVU will install permanent lights that are more inconspicuous and do not detract from the historic appearance of the building. They will likely be smaller LED lights installed next summer and remain in place year-round. The goal will be to keep the traditional look, but programmable to different colors and scenes.”

WVU will hire a contractor experienced with holiday lights. Thompson pointed out that “The traditional pattern outlined the upper dormers, roof line, and clock tower, which is over 80 feet tall, so workers will be working from a boom lift, which adds to the challenge. It’s a big undertaking.”

President Benson is excited by the possibilities these permanent lights will provide for more holiday celebrations, such as red, white, and blue lights for the 4th of July, orange for Halloween, or pink in October for Breast Cancer Awareness month.

An early morning winter in 2008 with Woodburn Hall lit up.

Morgantown-based artist Coco and June developed products such as notecards and ornaments of lighted Woodburn Hall.

A holiday ornament of Woodburn Hall lit up, by Coco and June.

The Woodburn Hall lighting project is the second major visible campus change President Benson has jumpstarted. The first was the repainting of the Evansdale water tower, along with lighting the Flying WV symbol on that tower (which was sponsored by Hope Gas). These upgrades reflect his belief that “The heartfelt pride we all feel for this University should be physically reflected on our campus grounds.”

The 2025 lighting ceremony promises to be memorable for the WVU and Morgantown community. WVU students and faculty will provide live music, while Huntington Bank’s regional employees will be giving out hot cocoa. “We are very grateful to Huntington and to Northeast Natural Energy,” said President Benson, adding, “I hope we’ll always have a ceremony in the first week of December.”

‘It’s a major award!’ — “A Christmas Story”

And how does the Mountaineer nation feel about Woodburn Hall regaining its holiday finery? Responses on the WVU Facebook account include:

• “I am so happy to hear this!!! It was my favorite tradition when I was a student!” Tabatha Barber

• “Excellent. We have missed this tradition.” Lynette Anderson

• “Woodburn, beautiful building dressed for the occasion.” Thomas Boland

And the Morgantown artist known as Coco and June updated her painting of Woodburn, posting, “I used to love going to the light-up ceremony in college! And, it was purely coincidental that I painted the lights on Woodburn Hall and the lighting ceremony came back. It’s meant to be!”

So, as Mountaineers travel over country roads this December — and throughout the year — the warm image of Woodburn Hall glowing against the evening sky can remind us how traditions like this connect us all.

“Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas [and Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah, and anything else you celebrate] lies in your heart.” — “The Polar Express”

People can start gathering at Woodburn Circle at 6 p.m. Tuesday, December 2, 2025, for live music, hot chocolate, and cookies. The official program starts at 6:30 p.m. with remarks from President Benson and the sponsors, followed by the main event – the lighting.

In the event of bad weather, festivities will move inside E. Moore Hall.

WVU students and members of the community take part in the Woodburn light up in 2008.

Footnotes

Story by Kathy DeWeese. Cover photo by Roman Olynyk. Photos by Brian Persinger and WVU Photography.

Button Label

FootNotes

Story by Kathy DeWeese. Cover photo by Roman Olynyk. Photos by Brian Persinger and WVU Photography.

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LET’S GLOW!

A beloved holiday tradition returns to campus

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