May 5, 2026
Bittersweet: Todd and Patricia Beitner say goodbye to Ferris State’s Hallisy Hall, a big part of their 45-year journey together
A bittersweet “funeral” was held for Ferris State University’s Hallisy Hall recently, and attendees Todd and Particia ‘Trish’ Beitner were on hand to say goodbye to a place that played a key role in their lives as college students decades ago.
The celebration was led by Tim Geib Hallisy’s hall director. He noted that the program was the last event for the hall, as both Hallisy and Pickell halls will no longer house students after the current semester ends.
“The staff and I were very excited to put the program on so that we could say goodbye to the building and community with the closure that only a funeral idea could offer us,” Geib said. “Leaving our mark by putting handprints on the wall was also a way for us to stay connected to Hallisy.”
Attendees were able to write notes that were put into a model casket of Hallisy, which will then be put into a sealed time capsule that won’t be opened until the hall’s 100th anniversary in 2057. A tree was also painted onto one of the common area walls, as guests were able to leave handprints and their names on it leave their mark.
The Beitner’s were one of many who left their mark on the hall long before the recent celebration, and their last visit to the residence consisted of a flood of memories.
They first enrolled at Ferris State over 40 years ago. Hallisy was the place where the Beitners first met and would eventually become the cornerstone for endless stories. When it was time to once again say goodbye to the residential hall a few weeks ago, only this time for good, the bittersweet moment was a bit harder to accept.
“It was hard. There’s more than a few stories for us that make it memorable,” Todd Beitner said. “For us to go back and see the dorm where the two of us met, it was hard to know it’s going away.”
The couple noted that their relationship was more of a game of telephone at first, as they first met through acquaintances, would have their friends say “hello” for each other rather than saying it directly.
After a few weeks, Todd, who light-heartedly described himself a “shy auto nerd who turned loud and obnoxious” worked up the courage to speak to Trish directly.
Spending time with each other wasn’t easy to start. Since Hallisy was originally an all-male residential hall and Trish lived with her grandmother in Rogers Heights, both she and Todd admitted they “might have broken a rule or two” to hangout: sneaking Trish into Hallisy by climbing through Todd’s dorm window.
However, the risk-taking behavior wasn’t always the intention.
Trish completed her bachelor’s in Medical Records Secretary (now Health Information Management), and she can recall when her mother would jokingly say she was going to school to become a “Mrs.” However, Trish was dead set on only attending college to receive higher education and never focus on dating.
For Todd, his attempt at “Ferris 1.0” was a bit different. Automotive Technology came naturally for him, and he would eventually spend his career as a technician, became a nationally certified master tech, managed service departments, and everything in between.
The Beitner's were a pair of a few dozen attendees at the Hallisy Hall "funeral service", as everyone had the chance to leave one final mark on the building: paint hand prints and their names.
On the flip side, finding motivation to attend lectures and complete written assignments while studying for his degree was hard to come by. It became even more difficult when his father became disabled, and Todd was left with the decision to continue studying or go back home to provide for his family.
The latter would be his final decision, as the unfortunate politics behind healthcare would delay the process of his father receiving the care he needed.
“I had some marginal grades and trying to find the world, didn’t have the (academic) support that they have now. … Two years my dad couldn’t work, so being a mechanic, I knew I had to go home to support my family,” he said.
Todd moved back home to the east side of Michigan, and Trish also decided to take a step back from college to work her way up in the retail industry while saving money. Some odd years later, the couple reconnected through a social event with their college friends and kept a steady relationship from there on out – eventually getting married and having children.
Trish eventually went back to Ferris State to complete her MRS degree within a few years of that time. Though he’s now retired, Todd recently decided to re-enroll at Ferris State for what he calls his “Ferris 2.0” journey with intentions to get past the finish line, only this time he’s switched his degree path to the Integrative Studies program.
Trish can often be seen tagging along with him to campus as the couple enjoys their old stomping grounds, and they can’t believe how much the university has changed over the past four decades.
The biggest difference they have noticed is the available opportunities. Whether it’s better advising and mentoring resources, Registered Student Organizations, or fun social events, the Beitner’s agree that Ferris State has grown exponentially.
With so much time to reflect on what has changed since they first stepped onto campus, the couple shared advice they would give themselves and current Bulldogs.
“Stick it out and work harder for that degree. I started at hard knocks, and now I have yet to tell a student on campus or anywhere ‘don’t get your education.’ It’s hard and maybe you can save money in the long run, but what I achieved at 45-50 (years old), more than likely with your degree, you can achieve at 30,” Todd said.
“You never know what college can do for you unless you try it. You may end up with lifelong friends like we did or more opportunities, so don’t be afraid,” Trish added.
The full-circle moment of saying goodbye to the residence hall where they first met might have been hard in that moment, but it gave the Beitner’s a moment to remember the opportunities Ferris State still affords them.