When Carolyn Ludwig began working at UD, she was not allowed to enter the front of Kennedy Union wearing slacks.

'Women were only allowed to go in the front way if we had on dresses or skirts,' she said.

This is one of many things that have changed in the 48 years the administrative assistant for the alumni chair in humanities has been working at UD.

She started working at UD two weeks after her high school graduation as the junior secretary to then-dean Brother Leonard Mann.

'He was magnificent ' the epitome of an SM [member of the Society of Mary],' Ludwig said.

When one of her friends quit to work with the Peace Corps, Ludwig became the secretary of the athletic director and UD football coach Harry Baujan, known to others as the 'blonde beast.' Baujan was the namesake for Baujan Field, which was originally built for UD football in 1925.

Since she began working at UD, Ludwig has developed a collection of stories and anecdotes about the campus buildings and the people for whom they were named.

When the Marycrest dorm was being built in the 1960s, faculty and staff members were asked to donate five dollars in the name of a family member or friend by the name of Mary, a project called 'Marys for Marycrest,' Ludwig recalled. Her five dollars were in the name of her sister Mary, who also worked at UD.

When the Jesse Philips Humanities Center was being dedicated, Ludwig remembers watching Philips park his RV near the building to live in during the dedication.

The campus post office also holds some fond memories for Ludwig.

'The cutest little brother used to work there ' Arnie Klug,' she said.

Whenever she went to retrieve her mail, Klug would reach through the slot and grab her hand. He also sent members of the staff homemade birthday cards with a face inside of a heart.

One of the more exciting changes Ludwig was present for involved renovating the Rike Center for Fine Arts from a women's gym. She and her friends used to watch the women's basketball team dance to fulfill their physical education requirement. Often, they would be short on numbers and members of the men's team would have to accompany them. She also remembers watching as teams of workers raised the roof of the old gym to build a second story.

Ludwif remembers when an important change was made to Sherman Hall as well.

'Students used to grab a hold of the giant pendulum and swung it so far that it nearly hit the glass window,' Ludwig said. 'That is why they had to build the guardrail next to the window, so the pendulum didn't crash through.'

When St. Joseph Hall was used as both an academic building and a dormitory for the athletes while Ludwig was the secretary for the athletic office, she and her co-workers used to have to take messages to students while they were in class. More than once, a certain secretary would get lost and find herself in the boys' dorm, Ludwig recalled.

Ludwig can also remember the Rev. Charles Collins popping in on parties at a house across the street from Albert Emmanuel.

'Athletes would fly out the windows because they knew they weren't supposed to be there,' she said.

She also worked at UD when there was housing for freshmen in the West Campus, a building previously owned by the university several miles from the main campus.

'They used to have to bus the kids back and forth, to and from campus,' Ludwig said.

When he discovered that parents were nervous about their children living far from campus, Father Roesch, then-president of the university, moved to the West Campus to comfort them. The library now bears his name, which is also the last name of his brother Walter, who used to be a librarian.

Despite the many changes that Ludwig has seen at UD, some things will never change for her.

'My favorite part of St. Joseph Hall is the statue of St. Joseph,' she said. 'They saved it during the second fire. I've always liked it.'