Buell Hall team on float. Two banners are displaed on the float, one reads "from one beer Buell lover to another. Stroh's." The other reads "Buell Hall."
Crowds on a bridge and the banks of the Huron river watch as floats spread out over the water. A float in the foreground displays an Alpha Gamma Delta banner.
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.
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.
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.
Olga M. Madar (May 17, 1915 – May 16, 1996) was the first woman to serve on the United Auto Workers (UAW) International Executive Board. In 1938, she graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in physical education. In 1941, she joined the UAW Local 50 while working at Ford’s Willow Run bomber plant. According to Doug Fraser, former UAW president, Madar “was a trailblazer in the struggle for equal rights,” fighting to end racial discrimination and a champion of women’s rights. In this address prior to the inauguration of university president James Brickley, Madar details her attempt to navigate the “confusing” socio-political landscape of the 1970’s, and the role of minorities and women within that landscape. Madar condemns the gender wage gap, and lauds EMU for its placement of value on the education of women. Madar also addresses the possible threat to universities like EMU by a steadily growing number of community colleges, expressing her view that large universities need to begin paying more attention to low-income community members. A Q&A session follows the speech.
In 1966, Robert F. Kennedy visited Eastern Michigan University and delivered an address from the steps of Pease Auditorium. Kennedy began by rallying support for Congressman Wes Vivian, gubernatorial candidate Zolton Ferency, and G. Mennen Williams, poking fun at Williams’ wardrobe in the process. Kennedy next compares the voting record of Republican United States Congressmen to that of the Democratic vote, pointing out the shortcomings of several Republican voting records on issues such as an federal education act, Medicare, and the draft lottery, which he says should apply equally to everyone regardless of background or economic status. Embedded in Kennedy’s speech are humorous anecdotes and self-defacing quips.
William F. Buckley Jr. was an American conservative author and television commentator, most notably on his own program, Firing Line, where he became known for his transatlantic accent and wide vocabulary. Regarded as one of the most important conservative intellectuals of his time, Buckley here lays out three concepts that he has taken from his association with the youth of 1971. First, Buckley emphasizes the younger generation’s affinity for new technologies, and explains that with every new technological advance, there are concerns as well as benefits. Second, Buckley has learned from the youth that reason will hold as much influence as romanticism in the decisions made by the graduating generation. Third, Buckley has realized that the youth of 1971 are fully able to determine that the idealism of others is just as valuable as their own idealism, though it may differ greatly. At the end of this recording, 5 honorary degrees are given, including one to Buckley, as well as another honorary degree to Motown Records founder Barry Gordy.
Alben Barkley was United States Vice President under President Harry Truman. In this address, Barkley gives a thorough summary of the role of education in the last 100 years of the nation. Discussing the United States of America from its founding through World War II, Barkley explains that only through education can Americans overcome the fear that has permeated the American psyche in the wake of WWII.
Johanna "Hannah" Arendt (14 October 1906 – 4 December 1975) was a German-born, American political theorist. Her eighteen books and numerous articles, on topics ranging from totalitarianism to epistemology, had a lasting influence on political theory. Arendt is widely considered one of the most important political philosophers of the twentieth century. In this address, Arendt emphasizes the importance of truth-seeking in the world outside of the university. The experience of education, Arendt says, is the experience of committing to the pursuit of truth, and once outside the bubble of academia, students will find this commitment to truth to be invaluable.
Dr. Harold Urey was an American physical chemist whose work on isotopes earnd him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1943 for the discovery of deuterium. Here, Urey dedicates the newly-built Strong Hall on the campus of Eastern Michigan University by linking the growth and success of science to the national psyche. Urey explains how the popularity -and unpopularity- of science leads to a decline in science education.
Ralph Gilden served in virtually every position at Eastern Michigan University in his 40 years at EMU. From organizing a parent’s organization, to faculty member, to administrator and even interim president when Harold Sponberg resigned in 1974, Gilden was a loyal servant to the university and the faculty and students who constituted it. In this audio recording, Gilden pays tribute to George Marshall by announcing the launch of a new scholarship in the former track coach’s name.
Harold Sponberg served as president of Eastern Michigan University from 1965-1974. In this address to EMU faculty, Sponberg begins by explaining why he chose EMU and welcomes new department heads to the University. The bulk of Sponberg’s remarks center on budgetary concerns and the faculty’s apprehension over a looming wage-freeze. In the wake of civil unrest on and off campus, Sponberg stresses the need for the University to remain accountable for student action, whether that action be civil or uncivil.
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.
Lee M. Thurston served as Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1948-1953. In this address, Thurston speaks of the value of state support for Michigan schools, stating that without state involvement, Michigan schools risk consolidation and centralization of programs by the federal government in Washington D.C. Thurston also stresses the need for a belief in college and university education by common citizens, and notes that Michigan State Normal College is, and will be, an example of a school that bolsters the belief in education.
Lee Thurston serve as Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1948 to 1953. Here he Thurston delivers an address concerning the needs of public institutions, and how to effectively meet those needs. The framework of needs that Thurston discusses range from material, administrative, and structural needs to scientific and interpretive needs.
Zoologist and President of the University of Michigan, Arthur Ruthven was selected to speak at the inauguration of Michigan State Normal College President, Eugene B. Elliott. In this address, Ruthven speaks of the important place of MSNC in the post-World War II nation and world, while also emphasizing the need for regional studies and national defense training.
John Munson was President of Michigan State Normal College 1933-1948. In this address, Munson welcomes incoming president Eugene B. Elliott and delivers an inventory of distinguished MSNC alumni. Munson speaks of the evidence of MSNC’s global influence when naming former students and faculty who have gone on to important global positions.
Charles W. Hunt served effectively in many capacities at State University College at Oneonta, and in this address, given at the 1949 Michigan State Normal College Centennial Celebration, Hunt states that the influence of MSNC has been felt around the world by virtue of the training given teachers at the college. In a democratic culture, says Hunt, normal colleges like MSNC are vital instruments in the furthering of knowledge and growth of all citizens.
Dr. Richard Clyde Ford was appointed head of the Department of Foreign Languages at Michigan State Normal College in 1903. An experienced world traveler and expert on the state of education in Michigan, Ford here gives an overview of Michigan State Normal College. Given in the context of the growth of Ypsilanti, Ford’s summary of MSNC features a biography of John Pierce, to whom Pierce Hall was being dedicated at the MSNC Centennial Celebration. The buildings on campus, states Pierce, are a present testament to the men and women who labored to grow the College to its current (1949) form. Ford also explains the connection between the creation of a school and the creation of culture.
Anna W. Field taught in the Michigan Normal College Training School from 1915 until 1928, when she joined the Department of History at MSNC as a professor. Retiring in 1946 from the History Department, Field was selected to attend the dedication of the new Pierce Hall in 1949, and to give her remembrances of the original Pierce Hall. In this address, Field speaks of how the original building was the cultural center of Michigan Normal College, and how its growth and expansion mirrored the growth of MSNC itself.
Michigan State Normal College alum, John R. Emens, class of 1926, served as President of Ball State Teachers College, 1945-1968. In this address at Michigan State Normal College, Emens relates the history of MSNC, along with many of the lessons he learned while a student at the college. Emens also explains that the influence of MSNC is felt around the world, as many of the students and faculty of the institution have gone on to do great things globally.
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.
An alumni of Michigan State Normal College, class of 1906, and head of the Department of Geography at the University of Chicago, Charles C. Colby speaks in the address of the need for training teachers with an understanding and good judgement of an acceptable standard of living. In order to understand and judge this standard of living, Colby insists that teacher training in the field of economics is vital.
Joseph E. Warner of Ypsilanti served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1921-1930, and again from 1937-1956. Warner also served on the Ways and Means Committee which appropriated funding for Bowen Field House. Here, he congratulates Michigan State Normal College and Ypsilanti at large for the addition of Bowen Field House to their campus and community.
A member of the Michigan State Board of Education, Stephen Nisbet uses an analogy of Babe Ruth to illustrate the importance of teamwork whether on the baseball diamond or when building a new building on the campus of Michigan State Normal College. State government, the local community, and the college itself are the team players involved in building the new Bowen Field House. Without that group effort, Nisbet says, the porject would not have come to fruition.
James Hare was Michigan Secretary of State from 1955-1970. In this address at the dedication of the new Field House, Hare recalls his days playing various sports for Wayne State University in Detroit. Michigan Normal College, he says, was always dear to his heart, and he enjoyed his time competing here because of the lively school spirit. Hare also declares Bowen Field House to be a symbol of the direction the United States must take in the wake of World War II - that of active participant and not spectator.
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.
Michigan Senator Louis G. Christian expresses his gratitude for being allowed a part in the building of Bowen Field House, remarking that a sound body is essential to a sound mind. Happy for Michigan State Normal College and the Ypsilanti community, Christian relates an “Arabian proverb:” “He who has health has hope; he who has hope has everything.”
On the behalf of the students of Michigan State Normal College, student body President Ronald Bridge thanks the parties responsible for the planning and construction of Bowen Field House.
The Frederick Alexander Memorial organ was built and installed in Pease Auditorium in 1960. During the dedication ceremony of the organ, Eastern Michigan University Music Director Haydn Morgan paid tribute to Frederick Alexander, longtime Michigan State Normal College music director, and namesake of the new organ.
Eastern Michigan University Speech professor John Sattler eulogizes slain president John F. Kennedy. Recalling his professional achievements in this emotional address, and detailing the difficulties of the office of President of the United States, Sattler remarks upon how well suited Kennedy was to the highest office in the world.
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.
Born in Ypsilanti in 1892, Lloyd Olds received his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State Normal College, and later a Doctor of Public Health from University of Michigan. He returned to serve for 42 years as coach, athletic director, and head of intramurals. In this informal address at a retirement event honoring Olds and Elton Rynearson, Olds reminisces about past professors and athletes of Eastern Michigan University, and gives suggestions as to the forward direction of the University.
Jerome T. Hart was a Democratic member of the Michigan Senate from 1965 through 1990. He served on the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee from 1959 through 1963 and was an alternate delegate to the 1964 Democratic National Convention. He was also an executive assistant to the state treasurer. In this commencement address, Hart focuses on the American Civil Rights Movement and the role of graduates in the struggle for racial equality. Hart tells graduates that they cannot afford to simply pay attention to the actions of politicians in regards to Civil Rights; person-to-person interactions must also change if a cultural shift is to take place.
Graduating from Michigan State Normal College in 1926, Gussie Harris taught physical education for three years until returning to MSNC in 1929, where she held a variety of important positions for the next 39 years. Harris earned numerous awards for her service to the field of physical education. In this short, informal speech, Harris presents Lloyd Olds and Elton Rynearson with scholarships in their names, each awarding the amount of $400 to selected students. Harris recites a short poem, describing the scholarships, and the affection that EMU has for both retiring men.
James “Bingo” Brown was one of the most beloved figures in Eastern Michigan University history. Coaching the football team in 1923 and 1924, Brown went on to be appointed Dean of Men in 1927, a position he held for 35 years until his retirement in 1962. Here, Brown delivers a heartfelt farewell address to Lloyd Olds and Elton Rynearson, detailing the ways in which Olds and Rynearson had given their lives over to their students to help guide them down that “golden roadbed of life.”
Lenore LaFount Romney (November 9, 1908 – July 7, 1998) was an American actress and political figure. The wife of businessman and politician George W. Romney, she was First Lady of Michigan from 1963 to 1969. She was the Republican Party nominee for the U.S. Senate in 1970 from Michigan. In this address to the Eastern Michigan University Faculty Women’s Club, Romney encourages listeners to begin to look inward for the resources to improve their lives, rather than depending on federal government programs to improve them. Romney argues that by being involved and informed on the current political issues, one can then vote responsibly, as well as pass that information down to their children.
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.
Wes Vivian was a United States Congressman from Michigan from 1965-1967. In this brief recording, Vivian makes a campaign stop in Ypsilanti, on the steps of Pease Auditorium, to introduce gubernatorial candidate Zolton Ferency.
