Past residents reminisce living in now-demolished Trusler and Simpson Halls

Four walls can hold a lot of memories.

Some people think of mold, bugs and small rooms when it comes to dorms. But by the end of the school year, and even years later, those tiny rooms can carry memories of self-discovery, lifelong friends and TV marathons.

Undergraduate dorm buildings Trusler, Simpson and Graham Halls underwent demolition in June with a plan to build two new student housing buildings by Fall 2029.

Students and alumni reflected on the memories they made roaming the 64-year-old dorms.

Lifelong friendships

Nate Millado, a 45-year-old public relations producer and class of 2002 alumnus, said living in Trusler as a freshman in 1998 helped him form forever friendships and come to terms with his sexual identity. 

“I was more sure of who I am by the end of freshman year than when I first moved into Trusler,” Millado.

Watching shows like “Friends,” “Will & Grace,” “South Park” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” at the common area TV with his roommates was one of Millado’s favorite pastimes, he said. 

Exam cram sessions turned into “gut-busting laugh fests”, Millado said. He credits late night snacks, Subway sandwiches and blaring the “Rent” soundtrack to his freshman-year friends, who Millado remains in touch with over 25 years later. 

Attending UF was Millado’s first time away from home and his conservative upbringing, he said, which caused him to grapple with his sexual identity. Living with and around a diverse group of students encouraged him to step out of the closet and his comfort zone. 

“It does give me a tinge of melancholy to know it’s being demolished,” he said, “But the memories will last forever.”

Ryan Murphy, a 33-year-old AI solutions engineer and former Simpson Hall resident, graduated from UF in 2014. When he first arrived at UF in 2010, everyone aside from his roommate was a stranger to him. 

Little did he know that the friends he would make at Simpson would later become his best friends and future roommates for the rest of his undergraduate career.

“It’s crazy that freshman year dorm got me connected to folks that I’ll probably have lifelong friendships with,” Murphy said. 

Murphy said his year at Simpson was filled with pranks and shenanigans. He once came back from class to find his bed was moved to the common lounge area and his underwear was put into the ceiling’s light panels.

He also recounted a day when Simpson residents tried to create the world’s largest dodgeball game. After the game, Murphy and his roommate took dodgeballs back to their room and had their own dodgeball game with their floormates in Simpson’s narrow halls. 

But Murphy’s favorite memories are the inventive games he played with Simpson’s residents, including Quidditch — a broomstick sport from the “Harry Potter” series — in the field behind the dorm. Other creative and rebellious activities, like putting water balloons in peoples’ beds and belongings, made Murphy’s dorm experience memorable and amusing. 

Knowing the dorm was demolished feels bittersweet, he said.

“I’m sure they’ll put something nice in there and get usage out of it, and it’ll be a little more modern,” he said. “And the memories will always be there.”

The freshman experience 

The last class of students to live in the now-demolished dorms remember the buildings as fondly as their predecessors. Tiffany Cochran, a 19-year-old UF chemistry sophomore, lived in Trusler her freshman year. Trusler was what you would expect from an older dorm, she said, such as black mold that caused her and her roommate to get sick. But, she doesn’t hold it against the building.

“There’s something about having the classic dorm problems that make the college experience whole,” she said.

Cochran said living in Trusler was convenient because it was close to Gator Corner and the Reitz Student Union. Everyone in her dorm was open to meeting others and creating opportunities to make lifetime friendships.

“It wasn’t the best dorm out there, but when I saw it destroyed I was sort of upset,” Cochran said. “No one else will get to have the experience I had again.” 

Another former Trusler resident, Ansley Reeves, a 20-year-old UF environmental science sophomore, lived in the dorm her freshman year. Her window overlooked the pool, which was convenient for swimming, tanning and people watching.

Reeves said her favorite thing about the dorm was her walk home, especially at sunset. The trees overlapped and the sun went down in the middle of them, she said. There would also always be a gator or turtles swimming in the pond. 

Another of her favorite experiences in Trusler were late-night sweet treat runs with her roommates. The Grand Market was right beneath them, so about once a week, whenever they all returned to their dorms after a long day of classes, they would  run to the store together. 

After browsing the market’s selection of ice cream and snacks, they would go back to their dorm to feast on the floor. 

“It was so much fun,” she said.

Comical moments

Jennifer Daku Burby, a 43-year-old lawyer based in Florida, is a class of 2004 and 2007 alumna. She lived in Trusler during her freshman year as an undergraduate in 2000. She was a part of the Leader Scholar Program, a leadership enrichment program for freshmen which required residence at Trusler. 

It wasn’t her decision, though.

“I did not want to live at Trusler Hall,” Burby said.

Her parents signed her up for the leadership program without her knowing, and she said it was irritating to be far from her classes at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences on Turlington. However, living at Trusler turned out to be one of her favorite college experiences. 

“I met the best friends of my life at Trusler Hall,” Burby said. “Every year, all of us get together for a reunion, and we’re all scattered throughout the country.”

She remembers going downstairs to a sandwich shop, Blimpie Sub Shop, and convenience store to stock up on snacks before studying with other dorm residents. 

Burby also recalled giving a leadership presentation in the dorm, during which she glanced outside the window and witnessed something bizarre: An alligator attacked a duck in the pond outside. 

“It’s throwing it around like a rag doll, and I was like, ‘I’m so sorry to interrupt this presentation, but there’s an alligator in that pond attacking a duck,’” she said.

Everyone ran over to the window —‚ even those in the neighboring presentation rooms — to witness the incident. 

Living in Trusler was a huge blessing, Burby said. It was a great experience, and she said she’s “sad to hear that it is not going to exist anymore.”

Elizabeth Oldfield, a 19-year-old UF advertising sophomore, lived in Trusler her freshman year in 2024. She said Trusler and its location near the stadium made her fall in love with Florida as an out-of-state student from Maryland. 

Her room was next to pickleball and tennis courts, and she could hear people laughing while playing at night, Oldfield said. She and her roommate sometimes played because it was so convenient, Oldfield said, often making new friends on the court. 

One time, she recalled, a fire alarm sounded in Simpson, the connecting dorm. Simpson residents had to evacuate, while Trusler did not. She was sitting in her room when a fireman slammed open their door, and left before she could say anything, Oldfield said. It was so shocking, she broke out laughing, she said. 

“It was never a dull moment living in Trusler,” Oldfield said. 

She was sad to see the dorm destroyed, Oldfield said. A couple of seniors returned to the dorm to take pictures before they graduated, she said, and it dawned on her she wouldn’t be able to do that. 

“It definitely had its ups and downs, but it held a lot of memories that were so special to my freshman experience,” Oldfield said. 

Contact Angelique Rodriguez at arodriguez@alligator.org. Follow her on X @angeliquesrod. Contact Madeline Herring at mherring@alligator.org. Follow her on X @m_herring06.

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