VIEWPOINT: The Windmill Must Stay Right Where It Belongs

As alumni of Southampton College, we are unequivocally opposed to the ill-considered proposal to move the iconic windmill from the Southampton campus of Stony Brook University [“Push To Bring Campus Windmill Home To Southampton Village Underway,” 27east.com, October 2].

It is a solution in search of a problem.

From the establishment of Southampton College by Long Island University in 1963, the windmill has been the heart of the campus. That is still the case under the stewardship of Stony Brook University, which acquired the campus in 2006.

The windmill has been at its current location in Shinnecock Hills since 1888, when it was saved from destruction by Janet Hoyt, the wife of William Hoyt, the builder of the Shinnecock Inn. Janet Hoyt, together with Samuel Parrish, founded the Summer School of Art.

It is the only windmill of three in Southampton Village that survived. It has been in its current location for 132 years.

In the summer of 1957, Tennessee Williams resided there when he wrote the play “The Day on Which a Man Dies,” about the death of his friend Jackson Pollack. The Library Association of America officially designated the windmill — at its current location — as a literary landmark in 2013.

In 1963, when Long Island University established Southampton College, the windmill became the symbol of the new campus. The windmill is beloved by thousands of former students, faculty and administrators who rightly associate it with the very identity of the school. The college newspaper was aptly named “The Windmill.” The Windmill has been on everything related to the college, including sports uniforms, yearbooks, apparel and assorted memorabilia.

When Long Island University sought to close Southampton College in 2006 and sell it to the highest bidder, we fought successfully to continue the campus as an institution of higher education. In 2006, Stony Brook University acquired the campus and has continued the legacy of providing quality education to the residents of eastern Long Island.

During its tenure, Stony Brook University has completed the campus library, constructed a new Marine Center and renovated several dormitories. Last year, 700 students attended mostly graduate classes at the campus in the fields of marine sciences, fine arts and the health sciences.

Stony Brook’s commitment to the windmill is clear. In 2009, Stony Brook led the effort to rehabilitate the windmill. The windmill and the adjacent waterview quad have been in continuous use, hosting innumerable events, readings, receptions, orientations, celebrations, workshops, and fundraising dinners. The annual Windmill Lighting during the holiday season continues to be an East End tradition.

Stony Brook’s proven commitment to the windmill makes it clear that it is part of the future of the campus.

In the future, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital will be relocating its new state-of-the-art facility, utilizing a portion of the campus. The presence of the hospital will lead to additional curriculum at the Southampton campus in connection with health sciences. Further, a study has been completed to renovate Southampton Hall as a Center for Creativity. With these future improvements, it is estimated that 1,000 students will come to the campus for classes each academic year.

The windmill has a long and hallowed history in the current location. Further, this iconic building continues to serve as the center of a college campus in the midst of its rebirth as an institution for quality graduate education.

We expect the windmill to be a source of pride for generations to come. Appropriately, Stony Brook University officials have indicated they have no interest in moving the windmill.

During these critical times, there are many good causes that need the help of the community. Moving the windmill is not one of them.

Bob Martin (Class of 1968), a resident of Darien, Connecticut, is a retired division president of a Fortune 500 company, a bestselling author and a former member of the Southampton College Board of Trustees. He also was the chairman of Save the College at Southampton and lead donor to the 2009 windmill restoration. Joan DiPaola Tutt (Class of 1968), a Southampton resident, is the owner of Seashell Real Estate in Southampton and worked to save the Southampton campus in 2006. Fred W. Thiele Jr. (Class of 1976), a Sag Harbor resident, represents eastern Long Island in the New York State Assembly and helped lead the effort in Albany, with State Senator Ken LaValle, to have Stony Brook University acquire the Southampton campus.