by Rosa Moreno
Staff Writer
A weekend full of centennial activities begins at 10:30 a.m. today with Pulitzer prize winner Dr. Leonard Levy serving as guest speaker at the all-school convocation in Founders Hall Auditorium.
Dr. Levy’s area of expertise is the Bill of Rights, and he will incorporate this in his speech, titled, “Why We Have the Bill of Rights.”
Dr. Levy was chosen by the centennial committee, said Mark Bagley, assistant director of planned giving, because that group wanted the centennial convocation to be a “truly academic convocation, appealing to a large audience.”
The convocation will include a full processional of faculty and administrators in academic regalia. That, said Bagley, will add importance to the event. Classes that are regularly held at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. are cancelled to encourage students to attend the convocation, he said.
After the convocation, a noon luncheon will be held on the grass area between Miller and Founders Hall. Tables and canopies will be set up to accommodate those who attend. The Associated Students Federation (ASF) Forum will provide a band to play background music while lunch is served.
The luncheon is open to all on-campus people. Students will be able to use their meal cards, as in all other special centennial meal events. Others will be able to purchase this meal for $2.
A centennial ball will conclude centennial events for today. The affair is semi-formal and will take place in Industry Hills, starting at 6:30 p.m., with a social hour. Dinner will follow at 7, followed by dancing at 8:30. A quartet will perform during dinner. Dr. Stephen Morgan, president of the University of La Verne, Myrna Wheeler, member of the board of trustees, and Ben Harris, chairman of the board of trustees, will give a short welcome.
The “Sentimentalists,” a 13-piece orchestra, will play a wide variety of music, including ballroom music and popular, modern dance hits. The orchestra will also be taking requests.
In contrast to the events scheduled for today, activities scheduled for Saturday will be ones that “the community will be able to participate in,” said Ruby Montano, director of student activities. The events scheduled were planned to attract every age group, she said.
University alumni will prepare a pancake breakfast beginning at 8 a.m. on the lawn near Davenport Dining Hall. At 9 a.m., an antique and crafts show, along with an antique car show will begin on the University Mall between Woody Hall and the Law Library. The antiques and crafts will be furnished by local merchants. C Street will be blocked off in front of Founders Hall to display 15-20 antique cars dating from the 1920s-60s.
Children will also have something to do with planned games and a petting zoo. This will take place between the hours of 10:30-noon in Sneaky Park. A hot dog lunch will begin at noon between Miller and Founders Hall. This tailgate lunch will lead participants to the football game where the ULV Leos battle against the University of San Diego starting at 1:30 p.m. To wind down the game, there will be a chicken dinner at 5 p.m. in the Davenport Dining Hall.
The faculty recital will take place in Founders Auditorium at 7 p.m., featuring Karen Clark, Bob Dominguez, Andrew Ford, Reed Gratz, Anita Hanawalt, Adam Kaplan, Kathleen Lamkin and Michael Ryan. Faculty with singing roles are John Gingrich, Deborah Gratz, Paul Harms, Bruce A. Hirsch, Marjorie E. Hirsch and Cathlyn Traughber. David Werner will have a speaking role.
The final event for the weekend is the street dance at Sneaky Park from 10 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. D.J. Jim Tinker, alumnus of the Communications Department, also known as “KJIM,” will play at this dance. There will be tables with refreshments for sale, along with complimentary snow cones and popcorn. Tinker will play music from different eras, including music from the 1950s-60s.
“We’re not gearing all our efforts on this weekend alone. We have other events throughout the year,” said Montano. There are hopes that these events do build enthusiasm for the events to come. There are events planned every month. Not all centennial events were printed in the school’s calendar on account that the final arrangements for the activities were finalized after the publication date. These new events will be wildly publicized to ensure maximum participation by everyone.”
“We’re encouraging as many students as possible to participate because they are really fortunate to be a part of what’s going on,” said Bagley. “Students should be aware that a centennial celebration only comes
around every hundred years. The next time the University celebrates another hundred years, they may not be around to witness it.”
