College of the Ozarks - Soto Yearbook (Point Lookout, MO)

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Convocations Convos this year, like many years in the past, were in abundance. There was comedy, controversy, music and information. But perhaps what set aside convocations this year from those in the past was that this year's were noticeably better. We still had to go, there was nothing we could do about that, but it seemed that there was anticipation this year, not just for a select few convos, but for quite a few. Not every convo was great, but there are many which will stick in our minds. Among the many Chris- tian convos of this past year, three stand out. Musically, john Micael Talbot was the most memorable. Tal- bot, a Franiscan monk and a writer and singer of spiritually contempo- rary music, gave insight into the atti- tudes and convictions of monastic life and how these in turn provided deep meaning to the songs which he devoted to God. For many the man and his music were deeply moving. Dr. james johnny Johnson, a former highly ranked navy officer and advisor to presidents Nixon and Carter, provided much warmth and many smiles with his talk about life, his experiences, his challenges and how these were dramatically influ- enced and changed by such simple things as love and trust. Then there was Robert Short s convo, which seemed to raise some tempers and questions. Short, an au- thor of books with a Christian em- phasis and parallel sparked contro- versy when he posed his belief in the non-existence of a literal Hell. Peo- ple responded, positively and nega- tively, that they had been affected by what was heard and grew because of it. I 100 Activities filled The cultural convos were with an impressive list of speakers this year, with George McGovern, Abdul Shams, and George Plimpton. Each spoke with conviction and sin- cerity. McGovern addressed several issues in his lecture including: nucle- ar overskill, negotiation with Nicara- gua and MX Missile and Star War is- sues. Many S of O students were im- pressed by McGovern's lecture and the man himself. Like Robert Short's Christian convo, the lecture by Abdul Shams, former personal advisor to Afgan president Amin, meeting with such highly ranked officials like former Soviet president Brezhnev, was the source of many questions and its share of controversy. Shams pro- claimed that We trusted them fthe Sovietsb . . . and that was our big mis- take . He cautioned us all to listen and to learn from the mistakes of Afganistan. Writer, actor and participatory journalist George Plimpton gave what many felt was the most enjoy- able convo in a long time. Plimpton, the author of 11 books and an actor in such films as Reds , Lawrence of Arabia , and Detective , focused his talk on the subject of his exper- iences as a participatory journalist in professional sports, An Amateur Among the Pros, as he called it. Plimpton shared many of his exper- iences and fears from his past adven- tures in professional sports. Laughter and enjoyment characterized Plimp- ton's talk and helped round out a better than usual year of convoca- tions filled with better than usual speakers. TOP- George Plimpton gave his lecture on his experiences as a participatory journalist in professional sports. ABOVE- The Common Soldier's Experience in the Civil War was the issue Dr. David Blight spoke on.

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