On the evening of July , 1998, SEP reunion participants were herded from the Hartley Conference Center up to the floor of the Mitchell Building to witness the dedication. At the signal from Dimitri Bevc that the last of the stragglers had arrived, Jon stood somewhat precariously on a chair to say a few words (Appendix D) of welcome and explanation about the history of the skylight and the planned dedication events that evening.
Marie Prucha took over and recited the poem she wrote for the occasion after which people were carefully herded onto the carpeted area under the still-masked skylight. The end of the poem signalled SEP's reenactment of ``...facta est lux'' resulting in the rapid removal of the black plastic cover and an unexpected, but delightful, shower of balloons on the spectators.
After a minute or two of oohs and aahs, Dean Lynn Orr made a short impromptu(?) speech of recognition to Jon and his team's accomplishment in bringing light into the basement aerie to complement the intellectual lights that had graced the floor over the past 25 years. This was followed by a toast composed and read for the occasion by Biondo Biondi.