Military professors to restore historic U of I flagpole

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - University of Illinois officials are restoring a flagpole that has been at the school since the 1920s and long unused.

The (Champaign) News-Gazette (http://bit.ly/18zR90H ) reports a flagpole on the school's Armory building fell into disrepair and hasn't flown a flag in decades.

Military science professor Eric Stetson says they want to fix the pole so that it can "fly the Stars and Stripes again."

The 100-year-old Armory holds a university track and the Reserve Officer Training Corps programs.

Rust needs to be removed and a new, protective coating added to the pole, along with fixing the pulley system.

The school's Department of Military Science is spearheading the renovation. Donations are paying the cost for the project.

So far, officials have collected $3,000 of the $25,000 needed to fix the pole.