Greencastle/DePauw Partnerships Lead to "Downtown Revival"

February 10, 2018

Greencastle's relationship with DePauw University is "continuing to prosper," Kristin Clary, executive director of the Greencastle/Putnam County Development Center, said at the organization's annual luncheon meeting yesterday. The event took place at Music on the Square and also featured a speech by DePauw President D. Mark McCoy. (at right: Dr. McCoy chats with Greencastle Mayor Bill Dory at Friday's event)

A story in the Banner-Graphic reports that Clary discussed "how Main Street, the City of Greencastle and DePauw all had a hand in the overhead lighting project on South Indiana Street that was created in time for a DePauw alumni party last year and has become a sign of downtown revival for Greencastle."

She told the gathering, "We had alumni come back for the party night and say, ‘This is not the same Greencastle when I went to school here.’"

Eric Bernsee writes, "Certainly part of the reason that is true is President Mark McCoy, who began his term as DePauw’s 20th president on July 1, 2016 after moving to Greencastle in 2011 to become dean of the School of Music. McCoy shared his creed with the group Friday, stressing, 'There is no ‘them.’ There’s just ‘us,’ and the world will be so much better when we figure that out.'"

In his speech, DePauw's president detailed how partnerships between the community and the college and its alumni have led to the creation of Music on the Square -- the School of Music's venue where Friday's event took place -- and many other new and improved ventures, including Bridges Craft Pizza and Wine Bar, which has received acclaim beyond Putnam County. The venue was created by Judson and Joyce Green ('74 & '75), both DePauw alumni.

Bernsee writes, "While 'bridge' is a musical term for the section between the verse and the chorus, bridge also conveys the connection between the university and community, McCoy said in explaining the origin of the restaurant’s name. 'It’s the personification of the idea there is no ‘them,’' McCoy said, adding the Bridges is in the running for a James Beard Award for excellence in cuisine, something unheard of for such a new, small-town restaurant. He suggested that the more local residents share what places like Wasser Brewing, Almost Home, Tap 24 and Bridges have to offer, the more the community prospers. 'The more the rising tide will raise all the boats,' McCoy said."