COLUMBIA - In October 2007, a ceremony was held in honor of Professor Emeritus Arvarh Strickland. Friends, family, MU staff and students celebrated his accomplishments by naming a building in his honor.
"I'm so proud to be associated with Arvarh so I couldn't miss the opportunity to be here," said former MU professor Dr. Richard Kirkendall.
Kirkendall hired Strickland at MU in 1969 and traveled from Seattle to be at the ceremony.
"I see him as a combination of good things. He's a very talented historian and teacher, but he has a very strong character," Kirkendall said.
The former General Classroom Building was officially named Arvarh E. Strickland Hall in October.
"I'm really appreciative of everything that's happening," Strickland said.
Students campaigned for the name change in Strickland's honor.
"I just hope in the future, we don't have to go through all of this to get something like this accomplished," student Jabari Turner said.
An endowed chair in Black History Studies and a room in Memorial Union are also named after Strickland.
Strickland taught the first course in Black History at the university.
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