Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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Student entrepreneurs swarmed the lines selling items depicting the visit to those interested in a souvenir of the lecture. Mike Benz, senior in architecture, presents a T-shirt to a customer. 12 Reagan

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I REAGAN What could possibly cost $34,082.56, put the campus into a political fren- zy, cause Secret Servicemen to fly into Manhattan to check the security poten- tial of Ahearn Field House, motivate students, faculty, and staff to wait in long lines just for a single one-hour presentation? The answer: The 58th Landon Lecture. Guest speaker: Ronald Reagan. The planning began Aug. 29 when Presi- dent Reagan was invited as the guest lecturer in honor of Alf Landon ' s 95th birthday. The first answer from the White House was that the visit was tentatively scheduled and even with this response, the University began preparing for the hopeful visit. After confirmation, a Washington advance team visited Manhattan one week before the scheduled lecture to outline specific duties for Chief Art Stone, director of Security and Traffic. It ' s a good-sized operation. We were warned that things would be pretty tight, Stone said. Students walking past Ahearn the week prior to the visit stopped to view the pro- cedures necessary to protect a president. One of the major concerns was determin- ing the priority of who would be able to at- tend the lecture. Tickets were passed out on a first-come, first-served basis two days stops in for grand old birthday; parti; before the visit. Lines began forming at noon on the Weber Arena lawn for the 5 p.m. distribution. Only one ticket was issued for each person with a University identfication card. By 9:30 p.m. all 7,500 tickets were distributed to students, faculty and staff. Among the ticket lines, overnight business entrepreneurs sold Reagan paraphernalia in- cluding, Ronnie ' s American Tour ' 82 and Can you say Deficit? T-shirts. Buttons were also available. A rare decision by the administration cancelled classes from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. so that students and faculty could at- tend the lecture. The day of the visit brought crowds gathering at 6 a.m. for the 11 a.m. lecture and cloudy, rainy skies. By 10:15 the lines had formed from the east entrance of Ahearn to Farrell Library. Approximately 9,300 students, faculty and staff, 500 Landon Lec- ture patrons and 350 members of the news media walked through metal detectors into the tension-filled Ahearn. The stage was set. Chairs were arranged behind the podium complete with the presidential seal. A large royal blue curtain supplied the backdrop and a sign proclaim- ing LANDON LECTURE announced the reason for the gathering. Ahearn hummed with excitement and an- Reagan ll

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i ' Reagan... ticipation. People filed in constantly for two hours trying to find the best available seat in order to catch a glimpse of the distinguished guests. Student ushers escorted patrons to the front of the stage while others filled the surroun- ding bleachers. Security personnel lined the aisles and perched in the rafters, while news media prepared their cameras for the event. Finally, at 10:45 the doors of Aheam were closed and people found their seats. The bleachers were full and one could imagine the Wildcat basketball team ready to take the court. However, the sounds of Air Force helicopters outside, brought the crowd back to reality. Ten minutes had passed from the scheduled 11 a.m. starting time and the commotion at the left of the stage brought the arena to a hush. The guests had arrived. Entering were former Gov. Alf Landon, Sens. Bob Dole and Nancy Landon Kassebaum, Landon ' s daughter, K-State President Duane Acker, Gov. John Carlin and President Ronald Reagan. A standing ovation welcomed the party. We ' re always glad to have such an enthusiastic crowd in this facility, Acker said. After Acker ' s introduction of the plat- form party. Gov. Carlin introduced President Reagan. Those attending may have thought the ' Cats had won the NCAA basketball tournament, as the crowd rose to its feet and the fieldhouse roared. Reagan quipped about K-State basket- ball and the football program. As an ex-sports announcer, I ' ve also been following the Wildcats ' victories in basketball, as well as some trials and, shall I say, misfortunes in football? You ' ve tasted the agony of defeat, Reagan said. At a request from the president, the crowd rose to its feet and sang Happy Birthday in honor of Landon ' s birth- day. A tearful Landon, with handker- chief in hand, waved to the audience. Governor, if you ' d invite me back here to speak five years from now, and, if I should happen to be still living in Washington, you could join me on Air Force One and we ' d light the candles on your 100th birthday cake in Washington so all of America could join in the celebration, Reagan said. Reagan spoke for approximately 40 minutes and sternly emphasized issues favoring voluntary school prayer, the protection of the unborn child and a constitutional amendment making balanced budgets the law of this land. At the conclusion of the talk, the president and Landon recieved gifts from Acker and Student Body President Bill Rogenmoser. Sterling silver platters were given by Acker. Rogenmoser announced that in order to aid the Wildcats on their first football game of the season he wanted Reagan and Landon on our team, and presented each with a K-State football jersey. Landon received number 95 and Reagan ' s jersey read number one. Then as quickly as they entered, the visitors were swarmed by Secret Ser- vicemen and rushed back to the awaiting helicopters for the return trip to Topeka to attend a Republican fund- REA6A1N ITS NOT NlCf raiser scheduled for that afternoon. Reagan was only in Kansas for the day as he flew to Salt Lake City that evening for further fund-raisers in support of the Republican party. Peaceful demonstrators awaited out- side as the helicopters left the West Stadium grounds. Signs including Books not Bombs, Reagan-Watt, It ' s Not Nice To Fool With Mother Nature, and Watt ' s Wrong With Reagan filled the area between Seaton Hall and the Union. Students mingled among the pro- testers, ran over to catch a glimpse of the departing Air Force One helicopters or casually walked on to their 12:30 classes. Reactions from the students about the speech varied. I was really disappointed with it. 1 thought the speech was vague. He made all of us Kansans feel good but basicallly it was his usual double talk. I think he talked around the nuclear issue. I was very disappointed in it, Chris Wolff, junior in psychology, said. It was interesting and worth the time. I thought he was smart staying away from sticky issues. I agree with his stand on prayer in school and abortion. It was brave of him to speak on these issues, but then again, this is the Bible Belt so he can come out and say something like that and have the majori- ty of people agree with him. I think he was smart not to mention military and South American relations. It ' s a hot bed of coals that he doesn ' t need to tread on when he ' s just here for a birthday party, Mitch Jewett, junior in English, said. It wasn ' t long before the area was cleared of any indication that the presi- dent had visited. It was back to the dai- ly activities that had been disrupted for the few hours the President of the United States visited the campus. — by Jerry Katlin As the Air Force One helicopter took the presiden- tial party back to Topeka the protesters displayed their viewpoints on the present world situation. A student gives his impression of the administration ' s environmental policies. Reagan 13