<body><div>After more than two years of work on Kenyon’s South Quad, the College’s two newest residence halls have names: Thomas Hall and Winkler Hall. The names honor Kenyon alumni Richard L. Thomas ’53 H’72 P’81 and Matt Winkler ’77 P’13 H’00.Thomas Hall, located on the east side of South Quad next to Leonard Hall, will open to students in January. Winkler Hall, which sits on the other side of the quad behind Hanna Hall, will follow in the fall of 2025.“It’s a wonderful tribute to two alum who have been incredibly generous donors and supporters of Kenyon,” President Julie Kornfeld said in an interview with the Collegian. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to recognize their contribution.”Thomas, who served as student body president and president of the College’s chapter of Beta Theta Pi during his time at Kenyon, helped fund the 2008 renovation of Peirce Dining Hall. Thomas Hall in Peirce, commonly known to students as “New Side,” will be renamed to Thomas Dining Hall.He also served on the Board of Trustees and financed an endowed professorship in creative writing, which is currently held by Professor of Creative Writing Ira Sukrungruang.Thomas described himself as “indebted” to Kenyon in a College press release. “Kenyon was truly where I learned to think, to write, to speak — to lead,” he said.Winkler is the co-founder and former editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News and also worked for the Mount Vernon News, the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Forbes magazine and more. During his time as a history major at Kenyon, he served as editor of the Collegian, which he now supports through an endowment fund.Winkler currently sits on the Kenyon Review Board and the steering committee for the Center for the Study of American Democracy. The Winkler Atrium in Chalmers Library is named in honor of his “generosity, long-time service and dedication to Kenyon College,” according to Kenyon’s Bicentennial website.“I was surprised and humbled to be told that Graham Gund would have me on one of his residences for students in Kenyon’s third century,” Winkler wrote in an email to the Collegian. “No one has done more than Graham to make Kenyon an endless journey in a timeless place. It’s taken me decades to appreciate the intensity of my four years living on the Hill, where my best friends forever and the people of Knox County gave me the launchpad for my lucky life.”Thomas and Winkler Halls, designed by architect and Kenyon alumnus Graham Gund ’63 H’81, will house about 100 students each and will feature a mix of six-person and four-person apartment-style suites with individual kitchens. Their construction was funded by an anonymous gift of $100 million, the largest in Kenyon’s history.“[The residence halls] are beautiful,” Kornfeld said. “The views on the side overlooking the valley… [a] lot of windows, a lot of light, and some of the windows even have a little bit of stained glass across them.”Students and alumni will have the opportunity to tour Thomas Hall at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday at 4 p.m., where they can add their names to the Bicentennial Book and enjoy complimentary refreshments from Birds of a Feather Bakery.</div></body>

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Names of new dorms honor alumni Thomas and Winkler

After more than two years of work on Kenyon’s South Quad, the College’s two newest residence halls have names: Thomas Hall and Winkler Hall. The names honor Kenyon alumni Richard L. Thomas ’53 H’72 P’81 and Matt Winkler ’77 P’13 H’00. Thomas...