UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, said Tuesday that the Wigton Heritage Center — a new facility designed to memorialize UNMC’s unique history that also serves as a campus welcome center — “was just a dream a few short years ago.”
“Look at us now,” said Emily McElroy, dean of the Leon S. McGoogan Health Sciences Library. “Look at this magnificent space.”
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UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, congratulates McGoogan Health Sciences Library Dean Emily McElroy Tuesday at Tuesday’s dedication and ribbon-cutting for the Wigton Heritage Center. |
Dr. Gold on Tuesday presided over the dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the multilevel, 13,000-square-foot facility, which includes gallery and digital exhibit space and allows McGoogan Library staff to showcase previously hidden, prized collections to the public.
“The Wigton Heritage Center serves as a place of welcome and a catalyst for understanding, experiencing and appreciating UNMC’s history and the Nebraska health professionals who have transformed lives, now celebrating 150 years since the founding of the first Nebraska medical college,” said Dr. Gold. “We are grateful to Dr. Bob Wigton and all of the donors who helped us create this transformational space.”
See a photo album from the event.
“What an exciting day for the University of Nebraska Medical Center and our entire community,” NU system President Ted Carter said in a video message.
Mayor Jean Stothert, UNMC Student Senate president Taylor Kratochvil, former faculty senate president Corrine Hanson, PhD, and Amy Volk of the University of Nebraska Foundation, also spoke at the event.
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University of Nebraska President Ted Carter delivered a videotaped message during the event. |
Leadership gifts for the $8 million building addition were provided by Robert S. Wigton, MD, and the Leland J. and Dorothy H. Olson Charitable Foundation, along with other private gifts supporting exhibits within the Wigton Heritage Center. Funding also was provided by the Nebraska Legislature through LB 957 for infrastructure upgrades to the adjoining Wittson Hall.
Dr. Wigton, UNMC’s unofficial campus historian, is a 1969 alumnus of the College of Medicine, and a professor emeritus of internal medicine and has served in several key administrative areas, including associate dean for graduate medical education for nearly 40 years. The Wigton legacy spans three generations with several physicians within the family serving on the faculty of UNMC.
Dr. Wigton has so much history with the med center, “It’s where he got his tonsils removed,” Dr. Gold said.
One of the purposes of this facility is to “take all of that work that (Dr. Wigton) had been doing for decades, and bring that to life.” The result, Dr. Gold said, is “an amazing outpouring of love.”
The Wigton Heritage Center tells UNMC’s story through gallery and digital exhibit space; showcases the McGoogan Library’s vast special collections, artifacts, archives and rare books; and preserves University Hospital’s historic façade and iconic columns within an atrium that serves as a welcoming space for alumni, visitors, new and prospective students, and others. A Dunkin Donuts will open within the space.
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From left, Robert Wigton, MD, and Jeffrey P. Gold, MD |
On three floors of the Wigton Heritage Center, visitors may view 11 exhibits featuring images and artifacts from the McGoogan’s Special Collections and Archives, UNMC College of Nursing, UNMC College of Dentistry and cultural institutions across the state. Three additional exhibits will open in November 2021. Visitors also can experience 13 interactive displays.
Earlier this month, the American College of Surgeons, the largest professional organization of surgeons in the world, permanently transferred an endowment to the University of Nebraska Foundation to support its H. Winnett Orr rare book collection. The collection that includes surgical archives has been on permanent loan to the UNMC McGoogan Health Sciences Library since the 1970s.
Speakers hailed the work of UNMC’s Department of Facilities, Management and Planning in bringing the project to life. Dean McElroy also acknowledged the late John Schleicher, who, like Dr. Wigton, carried the torch of UNMC’s history for many years.
Dr. Gold said he is especially inspired by the columns, which are seeing their second dedication.
“I can’t help but think about what it must have been like in 1917, when these columns became a part of this city,” he said, “when people from this community had a beacon, a sign, a place of hope for the future.”
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Tuesday’s event was held in the Wigton Heritage Center with COVID-19 safety protocols in place. |
what a fabulous event in honor of one of the greats of UNMC. His unwavering dedication to UNMC and all of Nebraska. Dr Wigton was always available to tell the stories of UNMC to incoming and graduating students through picture boards, slides and great personal comments. Thank you for the opportunity you shared with us through the years!
Thank you Dr. Wigton! It was an honor to work with you in the GME Office and I always enjoyed your historical perspectives on our work. The new center is beautiful and I hope to share a donut with you there in the near future.
What an extraordinary and beautiful space. Thank you to Dr. Wigton and to all the others who made this possible. Nebraska can be proud of their history and contributions.