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65 items

  • Egbert Isbell, Introduction to the First Annual Conference on College and University Archives, 1968

    Egbert Isbell served as professor of history, and administrator at Eastern MichiganUniversity from 1937-1967. Presiding over the lunch portion of the First Annual Conference on College and University Archives, Isbell welcomes all participants, and pays tribute to President Harold Sponberg for not only looking forward to the future of EMU, but also to the institution’s past.

  • Elliot Richardson, Commencement Address, 1974

    Elliot Lee Richardson (July 20, 1920 – December 31, 1999) was an American lawyer and politician who was a member of the cabinet of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. As U.S. Attorney General, he was a prominent figure in the Watergate Scandal, and resigned rather than obey President Nixon's order to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox. In this address, Richardson warns the graduates of Eastern Michigan University against being “mastered by change,” and instead encourages them to “be in charge of change,” and to resist the prevailing sense of cynicism felt in the late 60’s and early 70’s. At the conclusion of the ceremony, several people are awarded honorary degrees by President Sponberg, including new Detroit Mayor, Coleman Young.

  • Elton Rynearson, Farewell Address, 1963

    Elton Rynearson attended Michigan State Normal College from 1910-1914, and later, as a coach, led MSNC athletics to the most successful years in the history of Eastern Michigan University. In this informal farewell speech given at a retirement party for Rynearson and Lloyd Olds in 1963, Rynearson looks back over his time at EMU, sharing anecdotes of the influential professors and coaches of the school, during his time as a student and coach.

  • Eugene B. Elliott, Inaugural Address, 1949

    Eugene B. Elliott was inaugurated as Michigan State Normal College President in 1949, and served until 1965. In his inaugural address, Elliott acknowledges his warm welcome from MSNC staff and administration before discussing the necessary “reconsecration” to the cause of education on the part of faculty and administration. This revisioning of the mission of MSNC, Elliott says, emphasizes teachers doing away with their “bags of tricks” used formerly to solve classroom problems, and instead utilizes flexibility and adaptability to move the institution and its students into the future. Elliott also speaks of the need for educated young people to halt the spread of totalitarianism around the globe.

  • Eugene B. Elliott, University Library Dedicatory Address, 1967

    Eugene Elliott served as Eastern Michigan University from 1949 to 1965. During Elliott’s tenure, the university underwent a period of growth unprecedented in its history. In this address, Elliott stresses the need to keep library development at the top of the list of university priorities. Elliott speaks to the fact that even in troubling socioeconomic times, libraries are of the utmost value, and that this new University Library, located at the center of campus, will act as “the intellectual heart, pumping new ideas through the veins of Eastern Michigan University.”

  • Eugene Elliott, Bowen Field House Dedicatory Address, 1955

    Eugene Elliott was President of Michigan State Normal College and Eastern Michigan University from 1949-1965. In this address at the dedication of Bowen Field House, Elliott thanks all those who lent a hand in the planning, funding, and building of the structure. The new facility, he says, will meet the needs of a rapidly growing student body, as well as strengthen the values of students while it is being used 10-14 hours per day.

  • Eugene Elliott, ROTC Award Acceptance Speech, 1965

    Eugene Elliott served as Eastern Michigan University President, 1949-1965. This recording captures Elliott on the eve of retirement, accepting an award for outstanding performance from ROTC of EMU. Elliott discusses the importance of the ROTC program, and the great responsibility attached to military might. The recording, captured out of doors, is very windy at times.

  • Fred Rogers, Commencement Address, 1973

    Fred Rogers was an American television personality, musician, puppeteer, writer, producer, and Presbyterian minister. Rogers was famous for creating, hosting, and composing the theme music for the educational preschool television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968–2001), which featured his kind-hearted, grandfatherly personality, and directness to his audiences. In this address to the graduating class of 1973, Rogers stresses his view that education is individually varied according to the student doing the learning; different student characteristics necessitate a diverse array of teaching methods. Rogers says that though the road to discovering one’s true self may be long, it is also worth the wait, especially with the help of intuitive and creative teachers. Rogers performs two of his own compositions, “Truth and Freedom,” and “There Are Many Ways to Say I Love You” during the presentation.

  • G. Mennen Williams, Campaign Rally Address, 1966

    G. Mennen Williams (1911-1988) was the 41st Governor of Michigan, and later worked under John F. Kennedy as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and served as Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. In 1966, Williams unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Michigan. This audio recording captures Williams in a campaign stop, introducing primary speaker Robert Kennedy.

  • George Goodman, Mayor of Ypsilanti, Address to the Fall Faculty Luncheon, 1974

    George Goodman was a lifelong Ypsilanti resident, having attended the Roosevelt School before graduating from Eastern Michigan University. Goodman served as mayor of Ypsilanti from 1971 until 1981. Concerned with the “orderly growth of the community,” Goodman here recaps the first 150 years of Ypsilanti, recounting both achievements and problems, before describing the city in terms of infrastructure, historic preservation, and the costs of new city resources such as bridges, fire trucks, and public transit. Dismissing the possibility of any major industrial powers making their homes in Ypsilanti, Goodman stresses Ypsilanti's need for the jobs and prestige that EMU brings to the community. Goodman also lists several ways in which the city and the university could improve their relations.

  • George Marshall, Address at the George Marshall Recognition Dinner, 1967

    George Marshall served as track coach for Eastern Michigan University for 35 years, from 1928 to 1967. In that time, his teams won 14 Interstate Intercollegiate Conference titles and the NAIA national cross country title. This audio recording from an appreciation dinner in Marshall’s honor captures Marshall responding to the accolades of the evening. Recalling stories from his time as track and field coach, and revisiting many of the lessons learned in his years with the track team, Marshall is humble and humorous in this address.

  • Governor G. Mennen Williams, Introduction to Vice President Barkley, 1949

    In this address at the Michigan State Normal College Centennial Celebration, Michigan Governor G. Mennen “Soapy” Williams introduces the principle speaker of the day: United States Vice President Alben Barkley.