Quad monuments withstand nature, fire and ¡BOÑO!

t was an act that caused more outrage within the MU community than a new H M O plan. An unconscionable act that left people wondering ‘why?’

After nearly 160 years of surviving fire, the wrath of nature and tens of thousands of students, the Columns nearly met their match when letters spelling out “¡BOÑO!” were spray-painted on each.

Graffiti on the MU Columns, April 4, 2000. Columbia Daily Tribune photo.

Paraphrasing President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous 1941 Pearl Harbor ‘day of infamy’ address to Congress, one could say “April 4, 2000 — a date which will live in infamy — the Columns at the University 0f Missouri-Columbia were suddenly and deliberately attacked.”

Although this early morning, under-cover- of-darkness graffiti assault on MU caused no loss of life nor structural damage, it was one of the worst acts of vandalism to a landmark ever seen on campus.

The morning after

The appearance of the letters was completely unexpected. One day the columns reveled in their gray-limestone glory, the next this non-sensical word — flanked by two exclamation marks — had been spray painted in brown, two-foot letters across them.

The graffiti “¡BOÑO!” can still be seen around Columbia. This example appears on a traffic signal box on corner of Ninth and Elm streets next to Shakespeare's Pizza.

“This was probably one of the worst acts of vandalism ever to occur on this campus,” said Phil Shocklee, associate director of Campus Facilities. “To desecrate such a landmark is like vandalizing the history of MU. Everybody was very disheartened about this senseless act of destruction and wanted to know why anyone would do such a thing.”

While MU police attempted to figure out who committed the vandalism and what “¡BOÑO!” meant, Campus Facilities battled with how to remove the graffiti.

Although it was discovered quickly that the word was indeed a nonsensical word made up by a former MU journalism student not involved in the vandalism, removing the graffiti proved to be a more difficult challenge.

“The porous nature of the limestone and not knowing what type of spray paint was used made it difficult to know how to proceed,” said Shocklee. “Our first attempts using a compound made especially for removing graffiti eliminated only the top layer of paint.”

Baking soda to nail polish remover

The Columns were none the worse for wear as graduates, families and friends filled Francis Quarangle for Commencement Day ceremonies.

With only a few weeks remaining before Commencement was to take place, Campus Facilities workers went into overdrive.

Custodial & Special Services and Maintenance workers attempted to remove the paint with various graffiti-removing agents. None, however, was satisfactory. In the meantime, the story of the vandalism had appeared in media throughout the Midwest. Campus Facilities representatives began fielding phone calls with home remedies for removing the paint.

“We got numerous phone calls and e-mails from people around the Midwest, each suggesting various products and techniques for removing the graffiti,” Shocklee said. “It was wonderful to see such sentiment toward the Columns, but nothing worked satisfactorily.”

No time to lose

Campus Facilities officials next sought the help of restoration experts.

“After unsuccessful attempts to remove the paint, we called Russell-Marti Conservation Services, of California, Missouri,” Shocklee said. “They sent a representative to examine the Columns, and to test various chemicals and techniques. It was important to find a way to lift the paint without corroding or bleaching the column.”

Campus Facilities’ Maintenance workers continued to test various products. After experimenting on small sections of the graffiti, they discovered that a solution used on aircraft paint would remove all traces of the graffiti without harming the surface of the historic limestone.

The Columns today — graffiti removed. Campus visitors pass MU's most recent monument, "Statement of Values" — "Respect, Responsibility, Excellence and Discovery" — erected in 1999.

“In its gel form it would adhere to the vertical surface of the column, yet not damage it,” Shocklee said. “We scrubbed the gel on the limestone’s porous surface with a stainless steel brush. After several such applications and washings with a high-pressure power washer the paint eventually disappeared.”

None the worse for wear

As graduates and relatives flooded the Quad Commencement Day, most were unaware there had ever been a problem. Others searched in vain for traces of the brown paint that had caused all the commotion.

“Our goal all along was to have the Columns cleaned by Commencement,” Shocklee said. “We were very pleased to be able to get it removed and have a wonderful graduation weekend.”