Morehead State University - Raconteur Yearbook (Morehead, KY)

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5,100fans rocked with REO Speedwagon during the November 20th concert. Lead singer Kevin Cronin said he preferred play- ing the newer songs but the concert was filled with both. PHOTO BY: jej?r S. Colquhoun An enthusiastic crowd greeted Richard Marx when he opened for REO Speedwagon. He performed two ofhis hit songs uDonit Mean Nothin, and iiShould Have Known Better. PHOTO BY: throughout the concert. This year Marx made it big on the charts with his hits Shouldive Known Better and Donit Mean Nothini. Marx presented cuts from his latest album as well as songs originally done by other artists. Some of these were El- vis Presleyis Little Sister and Stay With Me by Rod Stewart. Marx and his band were together all the way with a tight sound and electric stage presence. An interesting point was brought up when Marx introduced his guitarist, John Wamsley, as the actor who played Jason on The Waltons. iiDoes this guy look familiar to you? he asked, pinching Wamsleyis cheeks. F rom his new album Marx performed iiHave Mercy which he called his fa- vorite song, featuring a familiar guitar lick form Derek and the Dominoes, uLayla . He also gave fans a taste of his next album with a tune he had just writ- ten called iiLiving in the River. Marxis good looks, lively sound and incredible band combined to make an excellent opener for the feature attrac- tion. After a short intermission R.E.O. opened with their recent smash iiThat Ain,t Lovef, Well received by everyone in the audience, they showed fans how bands can last through a lot of years and still come out on top. After playing titles from their new al- bum, called Life As We Know It, the group strolled down rock and rolls memory lane with such classics as Take It On The Run and Keep On Loving You. Lead singer Kevin Cronin remarked after the show that although revamping oldies was fun he preferred to play new songs. He also commented about performing in this area. iiWe like playing smaller cities because the people really seem to appreciate our show. Incidentally, Mor- ehead has more pretty women than any other place Iive beenll, Morehead seemed to enjoy R.E.O. as well. The band played sixteen songs which most people in the crowd knew Kevin L. Goldy by heart. Their regular show finished with Ridini the Storm Out, but the audi- ence demanded more. The band com- plied with encores like Dont Let Him Go, Keep On Loving You and Time For Me To Fly. When asked the secret to their stay- ing power, bassist Neil Doughty said, uMany people in our audiences are real- ly young and some show up with par- ents, who are also fans. Our music isn,t dated; it fits in with each new genera- tion of fans. Lead guitarist Gary Richrath added, iiWeire all good friends. Weid have to be to stay together for 18 years. The band will still be rocking concert goers for 18 more years if the energetic performance they gave at the AAC is an indication. a By: Karen Craigo and Michelle Compton Concerts 193

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Music fills the Air Country music star Lee Greenwood performed for an enthusiastic crowd of about 2,200 on October 14 at the Aca- demiC-Athletic Center. Opening for Greenwood was Sandy Hook native Keith Whitley, who recent- ly made it big on the charts with the single iiMiami, My Amy? A zealous crowd packed the AAC. iiCollege students are an aggressive au- dience. They are really in tune with live entertainment, Greenwood comment- ed prior to the concert. Greenwood hails from California, where his parents were country andjazz performers. His main influences, Stan Kenton, Bobby Darin, and Sam Cook, were evident in the jazzy tenor sax solos he played. Greenwood performed several hits from his new album, entitled IfThereis Any Justice? The title describes the feeling of the album, he said. II wanted to make a statement about my career. Iim just starting to get accepted after 30 years in the business. His acceptance from the country mu- sic community was a surprise to Green- wood, however, because of his strong popular rhythm and blues background. iiI dont have the typical twang usual- ly associated with country music, Greenwood said. That, along with the fact that students with valid I.D.is were admitted free, may account for the wide range of fans present at the concert. TI prefer to play colleges because they are the thinking communityf said Events 192 Greenwood. iiThey are excited, and not jaded about life and music? Greenwood found time to shoot some baskets upon arriving at the AAC, and even stayed after to open the Midnight Madness celebration, which was the first official practice of the menis and womenis basketball teams. iiI like to rest and get used to the envi- ronment with my crew and the band, he said. iiAt times I have to rush in and perform right away, but I prefer to have time to look around? Country music newcomer Keith Whitley rolled in shortly before the concert and was greeted by many ex- cited fans from his hometown. II had lots of support from my family and friends tonightfi Whitley said after performing. iiIt feels really good to be back in the area. I used to come here when I was a kid to cruise the campus and check out the pretty college girls. This really is a homecoming for me! he joked. Whitley defines his music as being more traditionally country than Greenwoodis. iiLee does contempo- rary country, while Iim more traditionalfi com- mented the singer, whose main influences are George Jones, Merle Haggard and Lefty Frizzell. iiWe are a good mixture. Whitley described REO Speedwagon played several songs the crowd knew by heart. Bassist Neil Doughty said really young people show up with parents because the music fits every generation. PHOTO BY'JeffS. Col- quhpun Greenwood as a great entertainer and a really nice guy. Whitleyis fans clapped, shouted and even clogged in time to his music, which included the favorites Miami, My Amy and Homecoming 63. Both performers played with a great deal of enthusiasm. The highlight of the show was the grand finale, which was Creenwoodis stirring rendition of God Bless the USA during which a giant flag was unraveled above the stage. Practi- cally everyone was on his or her feet during the song. The futures of both performers look bright. A new album is in the works for Whitley, and Greenwood is working on the theme for a new television show, on which he will make several guest ap- pearances. R.E.O. Speedwagon Concert R.E.O. Speedwagon rocked over 5,100 fans on November 20 at the AAC. Richard Marx opened the show and had an enthusiastic crowd on their feet Q Surprised that he is considered a country music star, Greenwood said he has a rhythm and blues background. Greenwood performed in front of 2,200 for the Homecoming concert. PHOTO BY: Kevin L. Goldy

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1m afEFSU The History of Morehead State University In the fall of 1987 the Uni- versity hosted a celebration of the 100th year of education in Rowan County. The previous century has seen 1 l presi- dents, five name changes and countless scandals, but most of all, it has seen growth. Today there are over 6000 Universi- ty students. 1887.Umma ness, illiteracy and discord marked the land. The infa- 1 . mous Rowan County feud hadjust ended, but there was still a distinct lack of har- mony among members of the community. It was this year that Phoebe Button and her son Frank made their way from Oquawka, I1., t0 the wild, untamed hill country of Eastern Kentucky to start the normal school which was to become the Morehead State University of today. A normal school was, by definition, one of the earliest professional schools in the United States for the training of teachers. The Buttons were asked to form this school to help end the illiter- acy and ignorance which were so prevalent in the area at the time. The first student to regis- ter at the Morehead Normal School was a young girl by the name of Anna Page, who officially registered on Oct. 3, 1887. Page began taking classes immediately in the Buttons home, which was lo- cated at the present site of the Adron Doran University Center. She was soon joined by other students from the area. The second person to register was George Johnson, father of former football coach Ellis T. Johnson, after whom the basketball arena was named. The state of the area was best described by Morehead attorney, I. Harlan Powers, at the dedication of Button Auditorium in 1954: uThis community was in turmoil at that time. Human life was of little value. Law- lessness was rampant in this area. The future of this coun- ty and this part of the state Aerial View ofthe campus in 1938. Just three years after it was saved from closing with donations from Senator Allie W. Young. PHOTO BY: Courier Journal, from MSU Archives Events 194 was dark and gloomy? Even so, the Morehead Normal School survived. One by one, buildings sprouted up on campus. iiAt that time the campus was less beautiful? said F rank Buttonis daughter, Ida, at the auditoriumis dedica- tion. On it were four unpre- tentious buildings . . . the roads around the campus were dirty and uneven .. . there were few modern con- veniences. iiI can still see students ar- riving on horseback or in wagons, with no advance reg- istration or money for tu- ition, but they had faith that here they could find the edu- cation for which they yearned? Miss Button went on to say that her father could never turn a student away. No one ever knew where all of the scholarships came from, she said. 1907.Hmms time the school had switched hands. It had been operated by the Kentucky Christian Missionary Convention from 1887 to the turn of the cen- tury, when it was taken over by the Christian Women,s Board of Missions. Phoebe Button had died in 1892, just five years after establishing the school. The pressures of her task, as well as the rugged conditions of the area, had taken their toll on her. Frank Button had resigned from the school because of his moth- er,s illness, but returned four years later in 1896. 1927...Five years previously the More- head Normal School had graduated its last class, and, under Frank Buttonis sugges- tion, the Christian Womens Board of Missions had donat- ed its buildings and grounds to the state. The school had lain dormant during the tran- sition from private Christian school to state institution during the 1922-23 aca- demic year. In 1920 Governor Morrow gave the following message to the General Assembl re- garding the state of e uca- tion in the Commonwealth: