The Western Spirit has been called many things. I recall hearing President Kelly Thompson describe it as "that
other thing" - the intangible substance above the rim where everyone else thought the bucket was full. As a young student and raw employee in the early '70's, I had the opportunity to observe President Thompson and President Downing, to work for President Minton and President Zacharias, and, consequently, develop my own sense of the Western Spirit.
To me, the Western Spirit emanates from a special passion which comes from those few individuals who have devoted a lifetime of service to WKU, the three Presidents (Cherry, Garrett and Thompson) who devoted an accumulated 63 years to serving Western from its founding in 1906 until 1969; from Ed Diddle who served as a legendary basketball coach and the ultimate "Spirit Master" for 42 years, and from the many students who went on to serve Western in key faculty and administrative roles. This kind of commitment breeds a special pride in a special place.
This place is quite special. It is an uncommon campus perched on a commanding hill with splendid architecture, profound beauty, tree-lined and stoned-shaped lanes and buildings which reflect names of individuals who created the spirit which indeed makes masters out of those who earn a degree on the Hill.
To me, the spirit is a combination of the physical place and the human adrenaline which flows through those who experience the Hill. It is an extra source of pride, a willingness to fight for anything which strengthens the University communities or defends the University's reputation should anyone raise a question.
There are a handful of universities in America which are fortunate to claim an intangible and unquantifiable yet very real and very deep spirit that only its alumni can truly appreciate. Notre Dame and Texas A&M come to mind. There may be others. It is not something a university can manufacture or strategically create. It exists because special people created genuine and deep-seated feelings about a special place and successfully passed it on to unknown individuals who then took ownership and passed it on to their successors. The Western Spirit is an absolute passion, a rich adrenaline created by the Western experience which drives those in the Western family to cherish the experience during which memories of a lifetime are shaped and nurtured.
Often emulated, never duplicated, the Western Spirit is that other thing which does indeed make masters of Western graduates.
President Gary A. Ransdell
June 1, 2000