On Friday, the College formally dedicated King Hall in honor of Stanley King, who served as president of the College from 1932 until 1946 and graduated with the class of 1903. An anonymous donor provided the funding for the dormitory in King's honor, and requested that the College display a series of informational panels chronicling King's life throughout the dorm. There is one panel in each of the five common rooms.

President Anthony Marx noted that among alumni of the College, there is a dignity, spirit and quiet pride among those who choose to give to the College without having their names attached.

In his remarks, Dean of Students Ben Lieber pointed out that at last week's dedication of Wieland Hall he had spoken about the dorm's architectural design and the community it fosters. "King is virtually identical to Wieland, and we can take as a given the community of Wieland and King," he said.

Lieber said that at the second dedication, he preferred to focus on King's name. "[King was] one of Amherst's most distinguished presidents," he said. According to Lieber, King was so accomplished that fitting all of the information about his life on the five panels was a near-impossible task. "The College had to reduce the font size on the panels to avoid building a high-rise dorm," he joked.

During his term as president, King oversaw the construction of Valentine Hall, which created a central dining location for the campus. "King united students with emphasis on membership to the College rather than fraternity," said Lieber. "Likewise, the explicit purpose of ... King Hall is to enhance community."

Kelly McEvoy '05, the resident counselor of King, described the first time she entered the dorm. "I was the first one there. ... I rode the elevator up and down ten times, but it wasn't until the students arrived that I realized the true beauty of the building," she said. "The dorms are perfect for community, and the singles are fabulous for getting work done. It is apparent that the dorm was designed with students in mind."

Amos Hostetter, Jr. '53, chairman of the board of trustees, hopes the residents of King and the student body all appreciate the architecture of the building. "King is an extraordinary building. I hope the College will enjoy the building with a lot of love, and a lot of spirit," he said.

The oldest buildings on campus, North and South Colleges, were recently renovated so that the living spaces are of the same top quality as King and Wieland. "This connects the oldest and newest dorms over a span of 183 years," said Marx. "Today we dedicate the new dorm in the tradition of North, where we learn and live together."