Toledo Edison Memorial Fountain

Toledo Edison Memorial Fountain, a gift to The University of Toledo by the Toledo Edison Co. for the Centennial of Light (1879-1979), is located on the north side of the Student Union and was built when Centennial Mall was constructed in 1980.  Edison Fountain, designed by Toledoan Phyllis Nordin, adds a peaceful sound and look to the already very beautiful University of Toledo campus. The fountain was turned into a flowerbed for four years because the rusted pipes of the fountain would have cost $50,000 to repair. After a fundraising effort by Student Government President Kevin Hopkins, Toledo Edison, and many others, in 1997, the flowerbed was restored back into a fountain. Soap in the fountain is a traditional prank played by a group of Rockets in the fall and spring semesters when the fountain begins running again. WXUT 88.3 FM, the University of Toledo's official campus radio station, holds a contest in which students who swim around in the fountain fully clothed win prizes such as CDs, t-shirts, or away Rocket football tickets. "As Thomas A. Edison brought the light of electricity to mankind, This university brings the light of knowledge to its scholars." - John P. Williamson, Chairman of Toledo Edison