Around Campus
ten things
Ten Famous Visitors E
by Darcy Gifford
astern Michigan University has atracted its share of famous people over the years, from politicians to actors to cultural icons. Here, in alphabetical order, are ten that we found
interesting, and the stories behind their visits.
Maya Angelou Poet and author Maya Angelou gave two-sold out performances
at EMU—at Pease Auditorium in 1996 and at the Convocation Center in 2004. Her advice in 1996 included trying to understand the commonality we all share. “Go to the librarian tomorrow and say, ‘Miss Angelou suggested that you could help me see that hu- man beings are more alike than they are unalike.’”
Carol Channing (4) Carol Channing helped EMU launch its $1 million theatre
campaign in 1983 by making a whirlwind stop on campus. In De- troit performing “Hello Dolly,” she arrived at EMU in a helicopter; talked with guests; was appointed an honorary professor of Com- munication and Teatre Arts; and was given a surprise giſt: two new seats in Quirk Teatre, inscribed with her name. “Oh, I’m so proud,” she said. “I’ll be with you always!”
Cesar Chavez Labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez visited
campus in 1987, sponsored by the EMU Student Government. A viewing of the film “Wrath of Grapes” in Quirk Teatre was followed by a discussion of trade union issues. Chavez warned of risks posed by commercial pesticides and urged support for a boycot of California table grapes.
William Jefferson Clinton (2) Bill Clinton has been on campus three times, most notably as
commencement speaker and honorary degree recipient in 2000. In 1996, Clinton became the first siting president to visit EMU when a campaign stop brought him to Bowen Field. Lesser known is a trip Clinton made in 1992, when the then-Governor of Arkansas was preparing to debate George Bush and Ross Perot and practiced at EMU before traveling to Michigan State University, site of the debate.
Bill Cosby (5) Bowen Field House rocked in 1995 when Bill Cosby delivered
a 1.5 hour routine that touched on everyday experiences: school, family life and going to the dentist. According to Te Eastern Echo, Cosby told friends he “was going to the Big Y.” EMU track and field stars Paul McMullen and Sevatheda Fynes gave Cosby an EMU sweatshirt and a track and field warmup suit as a giſt.
12 Eastern | SPRING 2014
John F. Kennedy In October 1960, presidential candidate John F. Kennedy made
a brief and unplanned stop at EMU at 1:15 a.m. as he “was forced to stop his motorcade when the mass of students jammed in front, around, and on top of his car,” according to the Ypsilanti Press. He then delivered a brief speech estimated at two-to-three minutes before a crowd of about 500. Kennedy was in the area as part of a whistle stop campaign tour in southern Michigan.
Robert F. Kennedy (3) More than 3,000 people surrounded New York senator Robert
F. Kennedy when he spoke on the steps outside Pease Auditorium in November 1966. In town to promote Michigan Democratic candidates for the senate and gubernatorial races, Kennedy was greeted by “screams, cheers and a few youthful squeals.” Both of the candidates he supported lost; Zolton Ferency in the gubernatorial race to George W. Romney and G. Mennen Williams in the senate race against Robert P. Griffin.
Eleanor Roosevelt (1) In 1957, Eleanor Roosevelt visited the Soviet Union as a rep-
resentative of the New York Post and met with Communist Party leader Nikita Khrushchev. Her first public appearance aſter that trip was at Eastern Michigan University, where she gave a standing- room-only talk in Pease Auditorium titled, “Is America Facing World Leadership?” Aſter sharing stories and insight from her time in the Soviet Union, she greeted guests in McKenny Hall.
Theodore Roosevelt When Teodore Roosevelt spoke to a full house in Normal Hall
in October 1896, Michigan was still considered part of what he referred to as “the great West.” Roosevelt, then the New York City Police Commissioner, was campaigning for presidential candidate William McKinley. McKinley vastly outspent his opponent, Wil- liam Jennings Bryan, distributing thousands of pamphlets and ar- ranging for speeches like Roosevelt’s, which dealt with the central issue of the campaign: free silver vs. the gold standard. Bryan him- self also visited Michigan Normal—in 1903 when Roosevelt was president of the United States.
Booker T. Washington Influential educator and author Booker T. Washington gave
a lecture at Normal Hall in 1898, an event that Te Ypsilantian reported as well atended despite bad weather. According to the newspaper, Washington’s address touched on his experiences with the Tuskegee Institute and the lessons learned by his students, end- ing the story with: “Mr. Washington takes a very hopeful view of the future of his race.”3
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