As a graduate of the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, I enjoy visiting other college campuses while traveling from coast to coast. Of course, no two are alike. Some are more beautiful than others. Some have historical features or architectural features that others lack. The University of Wisconsin at Madison has Alumni Park. I wish Illinois did. Located at 724 Langdon Street, between Lake Mendota and Langdon Street, between Red Gym and Memorial Union, the 34,000-square-foot space celebrates UW-Madison and its graduates. The idea for this park-like promenade, on this very spot, was included in the 1908 campus master plan. But the project wasn't completed until 2017. It is more than a garden, it is an art gallery, a museum, a storehouse for the memories and achievements that Wisconsin students have created in the 17 decades since UW's first class convened. Most of all, the park tells the story of what it means to be a Badger. There are more than 200 alumni names listed in Alumni Park and adjacent One Alumni Place, graduates who had an important impact in Wisconsin and around the world, Badgers who made contributions that were truly superlative or unique. The Badger Pride Wall, 80 feet in length, features whimsical renditions of UW icons. The park is covered with more than 7,800 trees, shrubs, grasses, flowers and perennial plants, also artful exhibits, lake views, green space, a granite water fountain, even a Bucky Badger statue. A thoroughly enjoyable way to spend an hour or two, even when the temperature is only 30 degrees. I wonder if anyone at the University of Illinois has thought of creating an Alumni Park on the space of grass and sidewalks known as the Quadrangle, in the very middle of the campus, next to the Illini Union.

There are so many different kinds of art here. Water features, information listed on walls and artwork. Really interesting.

Well built and designed, this structure is a tribute to generations of super achievers. From astronauts to physicists to journalists, the list of distinctive alumni goes on and on. Facing the lake and adjacent to the Student Union, the park is a showcase for the University of Wisconsin and unlike any other of its kind in the midwest.

What a lovely place to spend an afternoon. Even on a very chilly day last Saturday, the park was filled with people sitting around and enjoying the surroundings.

A small park next to the Memorial Union that features the many accomplishments of notable UW graduates.