Last month, the challenge in our “Where’d I See That” photo was to guess what was missing, and we promised to tell the rest of the story this month. So here goes:

The finial was gone from the right column of the Alumni Gateway in front of Parker Hall. Back in September, some dastardly vandals had broken this historical feature off. (So it wasn’t exactly a surprise that Director of Campus Safety Amanda Warman, who must have investigated the crime, was the first one to answer the puzzle.)

When Assistant Director of Physical Plant Bud Winsor looked into replacing the finial, he was dismayed to learn that no one in the area could duplicate it. That was a serious dilemma—the gateway is one of the College’s most distinctive architectural features. It was like a tooth was missing in the College’s charming smile.

But serendipity was to have a hand. One of the grounds crew was having lunch at a downtown Keene eatery when Ed Dimeco approached him. Ed used to have a local business making ornamental objects out of cement, and he’s the one who made the original finials. Ed mentioned that he still had the molds and asked if Keene State might want them.

With the original molds and some expert cement work, the column was soon restored to its former glory and replaced by Bud and his crew this mild December morning. Like the bard said, “All’s well that ends well!”