North Commons
William “Bill” North, first came to OSU in 1909, and for a few years made up the entire university police force. Ohio State, at that time, consisted of 440 acres, all on the East bank of the Olentangy River, and had 3,050 students enrolled. North handled everything from traffic violations, to missing livestock, to general unruliness – including lake jumpers, apparently. Three blasts of the Power Plant whistle was the signal used to call him back to his office.
During his 35 years of service he made a great impression on students, with one source saying, “When you met Bill North, you never saw his badge.” He was Bill to everyone from the President to the groundsmen.
Bill North retired in 1944, but refused to stay that way. He served as a special guard at the Stadium, where alumni who stopped by would occasionally thank him for the way he handled some long-ago infraction. He died in 1962. North Commons was officially named to honor him by the Board of Trustees on June 5, 1964.
The building opened for use in January of 1966, at a cost of $938,678.07.
more information:
John H. Herrick Archives: North Commons
