By Taylor J. Hale
Special to the Gazette

STEVENS POINT — Few devices can capture the elusiveness of time like a camera. The enigmatic nostalgia that the aperture of a lens can seize is powerful, offering viewers a firsthand experience of the subject matter in the shot.

Marc Phillips, a UW-Stevens Point (UWSP) alumni now living in Texas, took the shown pictures in June of 1966 during his first time at the UWSP campus during his student orientation. He recently found the vintage photos tucked away on his computer and shared them online.

“I had forgotten I had taken these pictures when I rediscovered them on my computer recently,” Phillips said. “The campus has changed drastically since 1966.”

(Contributed)

Phillips was initially born in Detroit but was raised primarily in the suburbs of Milwaukee before making his way to Portage County for college. He spent some time in the army before receiving his bachelor’s degree from UWSP and working at Weber Plastics for a year in 1974. He later moved to Madison to continue his academic path.

“I moved to Madison in 1975 to attend school,” Phillips explained. “But, I made many wonderful friends while living in Stevens Point and have fond memories of places and events that occurred during my time in the area.”

The former Portage County resident still has family in Norske. He has seen the landscape change, but still feels vivified by the picturesque Wisconsin wildlife that surrounds the city. Stevens Point has been “nothing but wonderful memories” and “scenic property,” Phillips said.

The affinity of the future and past seem to coalesce collectively in the exposure of a photo, giving glimpses into days gone by, while also helping us develop a clearer view of what is to come. It is plain to see the changes throughout the campus, but the spirit of Portage County
enduringly remains.