#TBT in the Archives 3/2/17: Stars come out at Ship

Look up next time you visit the CUB. Near the third floor are posters for big-name bands and artists that have visited Shippensburg University. Famous authors, politicians, and yes, musicians have been visiting campus for more than 40 years. Let's take a look back at visitors of the past ...




Julian Bond in 1975.

In 1975, Julian Bond visited campus to talk about his work. A freshman senator in Georgia at the time, he was already well-known for his work as co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and co-founder and president of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Bond served as NAACP president, 1998-2010.



Rev. Jesse Jackson at Heiges Field House in 1992.

Bond wasn't the only civil rights leader to visit campus. In 1992, Shippensburg welcomed Rev. Jesse Jackson as the keynote speaker at the Gifted Minority Scholarship benefit dinner. Jackson is known for his work in Civil Rights, beginning with involvement in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) with Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s and continuing through the decades to include presidential campaigns, and advocacy.


Other speakers at the Gifted Minority Scholarship benefit dinner have included actress Della Reese, who addressed the gathering at Heiges Field House in February 2005, and singer Harry Belafonte in 1996. Reese talked about her career, including work on television's "Touched by an Angel," and her faith. Belafonte recalled his childhood in Harlem, and the inspiration he took from the work of Martin Luther King Jr.

Speakers during the 1990s addressed important issues. Among them was Slaughterhouse Five author Kurt Vonnegut, who talked about the legacy of World War II in April of 1995. "The legacy of World War II is to remind us yet again of what stupid, cruel animals human beings are, because everybody behaved abominably, including us," Vonnegut told the audience at the College of Arts & Sciences Colloquium Series. Feminist and writer Gloria Steinem addressed Shippensburg in 1989. Her lecture concerned what feminists were hoping and expecting in the 1990s.



Pat Benetar in 1988.

Of course bands are a popular draw at Shippensburg as well, and have been since the late 1960s. Countless bands have played at Heiges Field House, Memorial Auditorium, and the H. Ric Luhrs Center. In 1988, Pat Benetar rocked the campus. A year later, .38 Special played a selection of their greatest hits at a concert organized by APB. Collective Soul played in November 1995, and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones followed up two years later. Current students at Ship can recall appearances by Ludacris, Kenan Thompson and Panic! At the Disco.

It's interesting to see how The Slate has covered these events throughout SU history. Student perspective as illustrated in articles is a gauge of the campus mood at the time. The Slate covered all these events and more. Back issues of The Slate are available for viewing at SU Archives & Special Collections. Email specialcollections@ship.edu or phone, (717) 477-1123, ext. 3357 to make an appointment.

Sources:

Cumberland, 1975

The Slate, Oct. 17, 1988

The Slate, Oct. 24, 1989

The Slate, April 11, 1995

The Slate, Nov. 7, 1995

The Slate, Feb. 13, 1996

The Slate, Feb. 22, 2005

Record Group 30, Box 4, Shippensburg University Archives & Special Collections, Shippensburg, PA.