Western Illinois University is naming its Center for Performing Arts after past President Alvin "Al" Goldfarb.
In a press conference today (Tuesday, June 4), Goldfarb says he is extremely honored by the naming recognition, especially since his family might have been lost over 80 years ago.
“Naming means more to me than I can ever express personally. Many of you know my parents were Holocaust survivors. My mother survived only with an Aunt and my father was the only survivor in his family," Goldfarb said. "His name should not have survived. I should not actually be here I would sometimes say to student groups when I spoke. I’m kind of a historical accident. His name survived only by his survival.”
Goldfarb was President at WIU from 2002 to 2011 and wrote three university theater textbooks. The Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts costs around $119 million and is expected to open in the fall of 2025 for students and the greater community.
