“Permanent” memorial bricks to be removed from Camp Randall - Madison, WI - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - There are more questions than answers on the fate of thousands of memorial bricks outside Camp Randall Stadium.

The Hall of Fame Brick Walk is being removed to make way for the $285 million practice field project.

People paid hundreds of dollars for what they thought would be a permanent little piece of space on campus. The news of the change has some brick owner surprised and frustrated.

The university’s promotional video for the brick walk promotes a permanent memorial brick outside Camp Randall.

“Permanent did not mean seven years,” said Jessie Stoa. Stoa and a group of friends bought a memorial brick for their friend, Laura Olson, who lost her battle to cancer at age 29. Olson was a loyal Badgers fan, no matter the sport.

The news that the brick would be dug up was hard to hear.

“When I had to break the news to her mom and her longtime partner about them removing these bricks, it was full of tears, people are so disappointed,” said Stoa. “We were really excited when we realized that we could actually put her love, her incredible fandom, into something permanent here on campus,” she said.

Then there were life-long Badgers fans like Jay Russell whose family also bought a brick.

“We were assuming, that the brick would be there until time immemorial,” said Russell.

The brick included the names of his parents, who are both now gone. His family has a long history at the university, including having Badgers season tickets since the 1960s, and several family members are alumni.

“My dad went to the university. My wife and I both went to the university. Our daughter went to the university. My wife’s dad went to the university. So, yeah, we’re badger fans in the family,” said Russell.

Russell says he’s not mad at the university, he just wishes they would communicate more and have a better plan. “The preferred thing would be for it to be somewhere down in the university with the other bricks as part of the university grounds, as part of the Camp Randall Stadium grounds,” he said.

Stoa feels the same way. She’s also worried that some people don’t even know the bricks are being taken out and might not come pick them up. “I hate, hate to imagine what’s going to happen with all the bricks that are still sitting here at the end of next week, it’s just heartbreaking,” said Stoa.

She’s hoping the university changes its mind, and leaves their memorial to their friend somewhere on campus. “It has to be on campus somewhere, that was, that was the whole point. That was who she was. Everybody knew her for her love of the Badgers and for UW,” said Stoa.

We reached out to the university and they released this statement Wednesday:

“We have heard from a number of people who purchased bricks and are listening to the concerns being expressed. We recognize and appreciate the emotions and stories behind many of the names on the bricks. We realize the importance of the bricks and are in the midst of discussions around how to handle this situation moving forward.”

Type of publication: Television When was the article reported?: 09/05/2024 Publication: Channel 15 WMTV Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: local News Category: Society/People

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