5 The Goodbody Duck

The limestone carving of a scholarly duck adorns the Goodbody Hall rooftop at IU Bloomington.
Photograph by Chris Myer, courtesy of the Trustees of Indiana University.

If you happen to find yourself near Goodbody Hall, look up! This scholarly duck is perched atop the roof peak on the building’s western side. Dapper in his mortarboard, vest, and bow tie, he also sports a decoration featuring the letters “AWS”. This stands for “Association of Women Students”, and is representative of the fact that Goodbody Hall was originally a women’s dormitory.

Though the names of many of the limestone carvers who adorned IU Bloomington’s campus buildings have been lost to history, we know that this fantastic feathered gentleman was carved by Albert McIlveen Sr. in 1940.1

 

A nighttime photograph of a limestone duck carving perched on the peak of a roof.
This nighttime view of the Goodbody duck was captured by James Brosher and appears courtesy of the Trustees of Indiana University.

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Unique IU: An Offbeat Tour of Indiana University's Bloomington Campus Copyright © by Kate Crum. All Rights Reserved.

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