Sweet success: Reflecting on the Call Hall Dairy Bar’s legacy on campus as the facility prepares for move
Blueberry cheesecake. Butter pecan. Chocolate chip mint. Cookies and cream. Peanut
butter cup. Or, of course, the famous “Purple Pride.”
When it comes to picking a favorite flavor of ice cream at K-State’s Call Hall Dairy Bar, there certainly isn’t a shortage of options to choose from. The on-campus Dairy Processing Plant produces more than 40 flavors, including special seasonal varieties as well as the
classics: vanilla, strawberry and chocolate.
However, starting May 17, 2025, Call Hall fans will have to wait a while to get their
ice cream fix, as the dairy bar will temporarily close in preparation for its move
to the new Global Center for Grain and Food Innovation. However, dairy bar manager Anthony Fink ’16, ’23 promises that the new facility
will be worth the wait.
“There is so much that Call Hall Dairy Bar has given to K-State over the past 60 years,
and we have so much left to give over the next 100,” Fink said.
Read on for an overview of Call Hall’s history, and then take a sneak peek at its
future:
Looking back to Call Hall’s past
K-State’s ice cream-making history began long before Call Hall. The university has
been conducting dairy research and preparing students for careers in the dairy industry
for more than a century.
In 1905, the university established the Department of Dairy Husbandry and built Dairy
Hall for $15,000, according to a written history by the late Harold Roberts ’59, ’68,
a K-State professor who oversaw the university’s dairy processing plant. Many of the
flavors on the books, including purple pride, were developed by Roberts, who was known
to many around campus as “Mr. Ice Cream.” Dairy Hall was used for teaching both dairy
production and dairy manufacturing.
In 1923, the department moved into new facilities on the first floor of West Waters
Hall. By then the modern dairy processing plant was available for students to receive
a hands-on experience in processing milk and making other dairy products such as cheese,
condensed milk, butter and ice cream.
According to Roberts’ history, the department was renamed Dairy Science in 1961. After
41 years in Waters Hall, the department moved into a new building named after former
dean of agriculture, Leland Everett Call, in 1964. Call Hall provided a 9,600 square-foot
space for dairy processing. The processing plant was equipped with modern technology
for receiving, pasteurizing and packaging market-ready milk, with its primary purpose
of teaching, research and extension.
*Editor’s note: Information adapted from an article written by K-Stater magazine editor
Tim Schrag '12, originally appearing in the summer 2017 issue of the magazine.
Looking ahead to Call Hall’s future
Call Hall — in addition to serving up its famous ice cream — also offers breakfast
and lunch, and sells milk, meats and cheese. According to Anthony Fink, the new location
for the Call Hall Dairy Bar will feature a full-size kitchen, expanding the facility’s
capabilities.
“This will allow us to make and sell more items consisting of our on-campus products,”
he said. “Utilizing the grain science flour and bakery science recipes will be normal
in the new building. Our meal prep times will also decrease as the grill will increase
in size and the fryer will allow for multiple servings to be cooked at once, rather
than one serving.”
The new facility’s anticipated opening date has not yet been finalized.
“We truly need to get into the thick of the dairy plant renovations before any dates
for opening will be discussed,” Fink reports. “Community members will not be able
to purchase our milk, cheese, ice cream or merchandise during the shutdown.”
Fink said that the Call Hall Dairy Bar occupies a special spot in the hearts of K-Staters,
and he is excited for everyone to experience the facility’s new home.
“It's not just a place for community members to enjoy fresh milk and cheese, but it
is a place for alumni and potential students to interact,” he said. “It has been a
place that has touched so many lives; couples had their first date here, a lot of
people have passed tests from studying at Call Hall, people have had business meetings
here, plenty of potential students, especially within the College of Agriculture and
Animal Science Department, have experienced Call Hall as their first impression of
K-State. Call Hall Dairy Plant has supplied milk to the dorms and taught numerous
students the ins and outs of dairy processing. The student workers have had the ability
to meet their best friends, supplement their incomes, and attain marketable skills
in customer service.”
Although Wildcats will miss having a spot on campus to grab a scoop of ice cream,
Fink knows it’s a treat that will taste even sweeter when the dairy bar opens in its
new location. And as for what flavor Fink will be most excited to try when the dairy
bar is operating again?
“My personal favorite flavor would probably be the cherry choco crunch, which I had
the pleasure of helping develop for the President,” he said. “However, if you have
never had our strawberry ice cream, you are missing out on the best strawberry flavored
ice cream on the market.”
View architectural renderings from the Dairy Bar at the new Global Center for Grain
and Food Innovation:
Call Hall photos by David Mayes ’96, originally appearing in the fall 2022 issue of K-Stater magazine.