Walter Miller's 1919 commencement address called for a memorial to the University's lost soldiers in World War I.

The names of the two projects were a tribute to Mizzou alumni who lost their lives during World War I.

After World War II, plans were revived for the North Wing, construction began in June 1951, and it was completed for occupation in September 1952.

[4] Memorial Union honors 117 MU men who lost their lives in service to the United States during World War I.

A plaque was later added inside the north wing in which the names of 338 MU men who lost their lives in World War II were inscribed.