Honoring Tradition: The Legacy of Our Class Plaques

As you can imagine, Raymond Frey, professor of history and college historian, has stories to tell. He has taught here since 1990 but his stories go back farther than that as he shared his story about meeting his wife here at Centenary in 1976, found in his Op-Ed dated February 5, 2025. Needless to say, he can tell you about some pretty obscure history, like the bronze class plaques lining the corridors of the Seay Administration building. That’s exactly what we recently sat down to talk to him about. 

But first, a little bit more about Ray Frey.

Tell us about your background that enables you to be the Centenary historian?

I hold graduate degrees in philosophy and history from Fordham University and Drew University and have received numerous awards, including the Governor's Award for Distinguished Achievement in History and Civics, and the New Jersey Historical Commission Award of Recognition for teaching and writing about New Jersey history. 

Can you give a brief history about the class plaques in the Seay Building? 

I really like the plaques a lot because they are so historic. They go all the way back to the beginning of our institution. They are a nice tradition because when alums come back, they like to look for their names on the plaques. As a matter of fact, I was the commencement speaker in 2010 and one of the things I talked about was the plaques. I went around and looked at all the sayings on them and talked about their significance.

As you go through the years, the bronze plaques become brass plaques around World War I because some of the metal was rationed. And then in World War II, you see the same thing as they were rationing metal. After metals, they used a plastic substance called bakelite to make the plaques. Sadly, the tradition of the class plaque ended in 2002. 

I was talking to another professor who has probably been here as long as me. And she wondered, too, why they stopped at 2002. ​​ It could have been financial. I'm not sure. But that's kind of where it stopped. Maybe they ran out of wall space because there's not many walls left. For some reason, it never went further than that.

What types of plaques are they and what are they made from?

They are made from bronze like you see on grave sites.  I would guess they were fairly expensive but the alumni probably paid for them. And the other thing I liked very much is they would always have some sort of slogan, either a Latin or philosophical slogan. That kind of stopped around the late 1990s.

How much do the plaques weigh?

They are probably about 40 or 50 pounds each. Bronze is very heavy. It's very durable. They'll last there forever. It's interesting that you asked about their weight because I never saw one fall off the wall yet. I guess they put them up very well. 

Why did the University stop making the plaques?

It was probably a presidential decision; not sure if it was financial or not. I never really got an explanation as to why they stopped. There was some talk later on about doing the plaques again. That conversation never seemed to go anywhere.

Who started the tradition of creating the class plaques?

Oh, that went all the way back to President Whitney. He was the first president of the college at the time and he was also the pastor of the Methodist Church downtown. So he was very big on tradition and on history. We were founded by the Methodist church and they are very much into tradition and remembering their members. So this is a very common thing you would see in a Methodist institution.

Has anyone ever made the suggestion of bringing back the class plaques?

That's a good point. Yes, it was talked about, but again, it's a problem of funding. And I just heard the alumni group has lost some of their funding so they're just kind of going along. I doubt they have the money for it. It would be nice if some benefactors would pick up the class plaque tradition and carry the torch and get them done again, because I just think it's a great thing. I don't know if alums would contribute to it. That's another thing they could think about. But for now, the last couple of years, I've really heard nothing about it. So it seems like that's where it's going to stop, at least for now. 

I'm hoping someday somebody will say, Maybe we should start the plaques again, because there's so much history at this college and many people are sentimental about this place. And when we have alums come back from 50 years ago, they want to see what  the campus looked like. Therefore, I think that tradition really needs to be looked at. It's probably a matter of money like everything else.

Can you translate any of the Latin on the plaques?

My Latin is very bad. I can speak a little bit of French and German, so I did translate a few of them. Now, of course, with Google Translate you can do it. That's interesting, because Latin was one of the required courses back then. I have a feeling they were showing off their Latin. They are very common quotes just put into Latin. And Latin is one of those languages that's not taught much anymore or spoken anymore. So it's really a nice tradition. 

Where were the class plaques manufactured if someone wanted to get one made?

That I don't know, but there are foundries around here that will do it. There are many companies that will make plaques for you. They are often seen on building dedications because bronze is so durable; it will last forever.

Is there anything else that you would like to add?

I'm glad you asked the question about the plaques, because when I gave the commencement speech, people were very happy. I reminded them to Go and look at your plaque or go and look at the other plaques and see all the people who've been here before you. It gives you a sort of immortality. 

I think about my wife being on the plaque and now we've been married 45 years, and there she is on the plaque. Hopefully, she's going to be there forever. I met my wife here in 1976 and her name is on two of the plaques. Usually, in the morning when I come in, I always make sure to touch her name on the plaque just for good luck.

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If you’d like to know more about the history of the plaques or the history of Centenary, be sure to ask or contact Professor Frey or visit the University archives.