Chamberlin Rock, which rests atop Observatory Hill, is named after a 19th Century geologist and former university president, Thomas Crowder Chamberlin, whose work centered on glacial deposits, according to a bio on the university’s website. But it was a reporter’s reference to the rock in a nearly century-old Wisconsin State Journal article that prompted the push for its removal. In October 1925, the university had the boulder excavated and placed prominently atop the hill to honor Chamberlin, who would die in Chicago three years later. Juliana Bennett, a senior and a campus representative on the Madison City Council, said removing the rock signaled a small step toward a more inclusive school. Student groups had also demanded the removal of an Abraham Lincoln statue from campus – but university leaders rejected that request.

Source: Fox News August 08, 2021 01:41 UTC