Old school: U-M in History

April 25, 2011

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Groundbreaking performer

In her June 1959 commencement speech at Michigan Stadium, Marian Anderson, opera singer, civil rights figure and member of the United States delegation to the United Nations, said, “One of the finest things you can do for those who have helped to make this day possible is to find your place as soon as you may, and to do with it the best that’s in you to do.” She died in 1993 at age 96. — Bentley Historical Library and Women in History website

This month in history (31 years ago)

In his inaugural address at Hill Auditorium as U-M’s 10th president, Harold Shapiro said, “On the one hand, the university has the responsibility for training and research functions that serve society’s current economic and cultural life. On the other hand, the university has a fundamental responsibility to be critical of society’s current arrangements and to construct, entertain and test alternative visions.” Shapiro resigned in 1987 to become president of Princeton University. Michigan’s 13th president, Mary Sue Coleman, has held the post since 2002. — The University Record and Bentley Historical Library

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