Speeches

An initiative that began in 2017, the University Archives has begun to digitize items from the Historical Audio Recordings collection and other collections. We have sorted these recordings into four categories: Lectures and Presentations, Oral Histories, Performances and Speeches. Many of these recordings in the category of Speeches are related to Eastern Michigan University faculty, staff, and events occurring on campus, e.g. building dedications, retirements, and award ceremonies. The bulk of content from this collection is from the 1960s and 70s.

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Robert Solow, Address to Eastern Michigan University Honors College, 1973

Robert Solow

Robert Solow is an American economist particularly known for his work on the theory of economic growth that culminated in the exogenous growth model named after him. He is currently Emeritus Institute Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he has been a professor since 1949. He was awarded the John Bates Clark Award in 1961, the Nobel Memorial Award in Economic Sciences in 1981, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014. In this address to the graduates of the Eastern Michigan Honors College, Solow attempts to answer the question of how to pay forward our debt to the future, and how to ensure a stable and peaceful world for future generations. Following the address, Bruce Nelson presents students with outstanding academic records at EMU.
Harold Sponberg, Address at the George Marshall Recognition Dinner, 1967

Harold Sponberg

Harold Sponberg served as Eastern MIchigan University President from 1965-1974. As the opening speaker of the George Marshall Recognition Dinner, Sponberg thanks all those in attendance for being present, before stating that he wished he could have known Marshall for a longer period of time, so that he might do him full justice in his testament to Marshall’s character. Sponberg details Marshall’s career before illuminating several of his teaching, coaching, and personal qualities. Sponberg’s address takes an emotional turn when he speaks of Marshall’s illness, and his hopes for a full recovery
Harold Sponberg, Address to Fall Faculty Conference, 1972

Harold Sponberg

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.
Harold Sponberg, Address to Fall Faculty Conference, 1972

Harold Sponberg

Harold Sponberg served as Eastern Michigan University president from 1965 to 1974. In this address at the 1972 Fall Faculty Conference, Sponberg begins with a humorous synopsis of the duties of administrators, deans, and secretaries, before moving on to express his view that good decision making on the part of teachers depends primarily on insight, and the ability to recognize the different ways in which students learn. Sponberg also announces the appointment of a committee to investigate the differences in pay, workload, and hiring between men and women at EMU.
Harold Sponberg, Inaugural Address, 1966

Harold Sponberg

Harold E. Sponberg served as President of Eastern Michigan for nine years until his retirement in 1974. This audio recording captures Sponberg’s inaugural address from Pease Auditorium. George Romney delivers the invocation, and Chairman of the Board of Regents Edward J. McCormick introduces Sponberg and gives him the symbols of the University.
Harold Sponberg, Introduction to the First Annual Conference on College and University Archives, 1968

Harold Sponberg

President of Eastern Michigan University, 1965-1974, Harold Sponberg welcomes all participants in the archives conference to the EMU campus. Sponberg thanks Egbert Isbell for getting him up to speed on EMU history, and acknowledges that college archives are the best way to inject knowledge into an institution.
Harold Sponberg, University Library Dedicatory Address, 1967

Harold Sponberg

Harold E. Sponberg served as President of Eastern Michigan for nine years until his retirement in 1974. In this audio recording, Sponberg praises all parties involved with the planning and execution of the new University Library, remarking that it was no wonder the library was placed in the exact center of campus; learning should be of equal access to all who wish to take advantage of it.
Lee M. Thurston, Centennial Address, 1949

Lee Thurston

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.
Lee M. Thurston, Inauguration of Eugene B. Elliott, 1949

Lee Thurston

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.
Harold Urey Address, Dedication of Strong Hall, 1958

Harold Urey

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.
Calvin Vanderwerf, Address at the 20th Annual Honors Convocation Ceremony, 1968

Calvin Vanderwerf

Calvin A. Vanderwerf (1917-1988) was President of Hope College in Holland, Michigan, and former University of Florida chemistry professor. Invited to speak at the 20th Annual Honors Convocation ceremony at Eastern Michigan University, Vanderwerf speaks of his 25 years in academia, and shares his observations of the changing national attitude toward college education and the development of the American intellect.
Wes Vivian Introduces Zolton Ferency, 1966

Wes Vivian

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.
Joseph E. Warner, Bowen Field House Dedicatory Address, 1955

Joseph Warner

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.
G. Mennen Williams, Campaign Rally Address, 1966

G. Mennen Williams

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

G. Mennen Williams

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.