Southwest of Old Main, on the furthest corner of The Quad, lies a building that has been part of USU’s profile since 1935. The Ray B West building is one of USU’s oldest edifices, and as such, has a history that is as melodramatic and vivid as the poetry and screenplays composed within its walls.
The Origins of Ray B. West:
Originally, the Ray B West building was known by a different name than the one we call it today. It was originally called Loganton Abbey and it housed the richest and poshest family in Logan. They threw elaborate parties and hired servants with limps and it was all very dramatic. Then the war came and there was no more time for dinner parties and brunches.
The War Period for Ray B. West:
You may have heard the story that Ray B. West acted as munition storage for the military during World War II. Actually, that was a cover-up. Recent releases of classified documents, thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, have revealed that Ray B. West housed the first ever all bee military unit. That’s right, the Army developed several methods of weaponizing bees and they did so right here on the USU campus. In fact, that’s where the “B” in Ray B. West comes from.
Post-War Period:
When the war ended and there was no longer a need for genetically modified bee super-soldiers, Ray B. West went back to being used as an educational building. That was, until the famous rabies outbreak of 1956.
The Famous Rabies Outbreak of 1956:
In the fall of 1956, birds were chirping, leaves were falling, and chemically-enhanced bees were humming the tune of “The Star Spangled Banner.” Oh, and dogs were foaming at the mouth. Logan saw a huge outbreak of rabies in the Fall of 1956 and the university was forced to dedicate two of its buildings for the housing of effected animals. Thus Rabies East was established in the old Student Center and Rabies West was established in the Ray B. West Building.
Nothing could be done to cure the effected animals, so the buildings were mostly used for helping the dogs live out their days in peace. In 1967, an infestation of Box Elder Bugs made the building unsuitable for the rabies-ridden dogs and it returned to being the headquarters for USU’s English Department.
1967 – Present:
Since 1967 the Ray B. West building has alternated between being the place where English students gather to write papers and read poetry and the main nesting area for the influx of Box Elder Bugs that swarm the valley every spring and fall. Most of the time however, it goes unnoticed on the southern end of the quad, as people pass by and under appreciate the role that Ray B. West has played on Logan’s history.
