Resident assistants, Residential Life staff and their guests enjoyed a night of music, dancing, a flash-mob organized by Residential Life staff, pictures and appetizers at the inaugural Rakosnik Legacy Gala.
The gala was established thanks to a generous donation by alumni Bill and Barbara Rakosnik. The semi-formal dance provides RAs and Residential Life staff with a special event to reward them for their exceptional efforts to create an inclusive, safe and vibrant community in University Residences. The inaugural event was held during late February in the iconic Shively Club at Ross-Ade Stadium.
The inspiration to create the gala draws on Bill and Barbara’s memories of attending formal dances while they were students during the late-1960s. Women's and men's residence halls held formal dances at different times of the year, where couples met and dined in their respective residence halls before heading to the Purdue Memorial Union to dance the night away. Bill and Barbara attended their first formal dance in December 1966, just a few months after they met. Barbara recalls the dress she wore that night – white with red velvet ribbons, green holly leaves and red sequins, topped with a white, full-length brocade coat – all carefully made by her mother. Barbara generously donated the dress for display at the gala.
Enjoy photos of the inaugural Rakosnik Legacy Gala in the gallery below. Click on the right arrow to advance through the gallery.
Bill and Barbara Rakosnik
Bill (mechanical engineering ’69, MS industrial engineering ’70) and Barbara (health and human sciences ’70) each served as resident assistants, then called hall counselors, during their time at Purdue – Bill at Cary Quad and Barbara at Meredith. The two share cherished memories of their time on campus together, including concerts, ballet and opera in Elliott Hall of Music, movies and chamber music concerts in Fowler Hall, plays in Loeb Playhouse, athletic events and hall dances.
After graduating from Purdue, Bill spent more than 30 years in production control and distribution management at IBM, while Barbara worked in architecture and later started her own embroidery business, Periwinkle Promises. The Rakosniks’ love for Purdue remained evident through their support of endeavors such as the Student Life Advisory Council, the Griffin Society, President’s Council and the Purdue for Life Foundation.
University Residences thanks Bill and Barbara for their support in establishing a new take on an old tradition.