There has been at least one candidate for President of the United States to visit Evergreen. Gus Hall, standard bearer for the Communist Party came to one of the lecture halls in 1972 and gave his pitch. Frankly, I don't recall much of what he said, except that he mentioned he had once been a prison cell neighbor to George "Machine Gun" Kelly. What I do recall is the unusual configuration of the crowd. The front seats were lined with senior citizens, probably all born in the 1880s and 1890s, who were ardent and vocal Gus Hall fans. A whole row of white and blue-haired Reds, how colorfully patriotic! I had no idea there were so many senior citizen communists in Olympia in 1972 (like 8 or 10). The rest of the audience were curious and somewhat bemused students. Also peppered in the crowd were right wing hecklers. When it came to question and answer time, Gus refused to answer "rhetorical questions" which was his way of ignoring the right wingers out there. Surrounding all of us were Secret Service guys who looked like they were out of Central Casting. Gus introduced them as his unwanted protection.

When the event was over, Gus walked out to the circle and got into the car that was waiting for him. It was a Lincoln or a Cadillac.

Stokely Carmichael, the former Prime Minister of the Black Panther Party, came to TESC during a speaking tour around 1973. The lecture hall was packed with a mostly sympathetic crowd but this presentation ended with Carmichael angrily stomping offstage. I have never seen a speaker squander an opportunity like this. At first he spoke about "scientific socialism" and how it applied to African liberation. Pretty typical fare for those days. But then he went out of his way to antagonize the crowd. He launched into what was probably part of his canned delivery, but since it was obvious no one had clued him into the fact that Evergreen was Evergreen, the effect was comic. It started when he accused the students of hiding from the world by living in fraternities and sororities. After a round of laughter, he looked puzzled and I think he lost his bearings. It went downhill from there, as the students smelled blood and went after him for a variety of reasons. The questions were pointed, and grew more so as Stokely reacted with rising annoyance, finally culminating in his walking off. It was very dramatic and totally ignored by the local news media.

The Olympia Timberland Library will unveil "Sylvester’s Window" , a series of eight historically accurate cityscape paintings portraying the development of downtown Olympia from 1841 to 2001, at a public presentation and reception on Tuesday, October 25 from noon to 2 p.m.

The presentation ceremony begins at noon with remarks by Mayor Mark Foutch, Timberland library officials, and the project’s creative team, Lynn Erickson and Robert Chamberlain. Afterward, the public will have an opportunity to meet Erickson, who developed and produced the project, and Chamberlain, the artist. People will also be able to preview Sylvester’s Window educational kits that will soon be available for purchase. The Friends of the Olympia Timberland Library will provide refreshments. (Text taken from news release)

The Thurston County Young Democrats will meet Wednesday, October 26 at 7:00 pm at Apollo's Pizza on Olympia's westside. Apollo's Pizza is located at 2010 Harrison Ave NW, Olympia, 98502

For more information on the Thurston County Young Dems, go to: http://ydwa.org/thurston/

From El Salvador, Margarita Herrera was a member of the ruling elite when she assisted with the formation of Radio Venceremos and, later, Radio Cabal. She was assistant to Archbishop Oscar Romero and announced the news on his radio station. Two of her daughters were captured by a death squad in an attempt to capture Ms. Herrera; Evergreen faculty member Bill Ransom was instrumental in securing their release. As a result of this experience, Ms. Herrera became a political analyst and writer in support of the FMLN (Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional), and she was instrumental in drawing up and passing the UN peace accord for El Salvador’s combatants. She continues to be a consultant in demand in the field of communications. Margarita Herrera will discuss her political and cultural work in this evening event. Many thanks to our co-sponsors for their support: the academic programs Alternatives to Capitalist Globalization, American Frontiers, Art’s Sources, Borders of Identity, Growing Up Global, Locating Queer Studies, Making Change Happen, and Music in Culture, as well as the President’s Diversity Fund, the Writing Center, the Academic Deans, and the Provost’s Office. Thanks for invaluable publicity support to First Peoples, the Evergreen Writer’s Guild, and the Thurston-Santo Tomás Sister County Association. For more information, contact Alice Nelson (nelsona@evergreen.edu) or Bill Ransom (ransomb@evergreen.edu).

The internationally-acclaimed Nicaraguan poet Daisy Zamora—author of Clean Slate: New and Selected Poems and The Violent Foam, among many others, and editor of La mujer en la poesía nicaragüense—is one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Central American literature. Her work is known for its uncompromising voice and wide-ranging subject matter that embraces the details of daily life while encompassing human rights, politics, revolution, feminist issues, art, history, and culture. During the Sandinista Revolution, she was a combatant for the FSLN, became the voice and program director for the clandestine Radio Sandino during the final 1979 offensive, then served as Vice-Minister of Culture for the Sandinista government, working closely with Minister of Culture Ernesto Cardenal. Daisy Zamora will read from her work and discuss her experiences in this evening event.

Ward Churchill, creator of much controversy, will visit The Evergreen State College:

In his lectures and numerous published works, Churchill explores the themes of genocide in the Americas, racism, historical and legal (re)interpretation of conquest and colonization, environmental destruction of Indian lands, government repression of political movements, literary and cinematic criticism, and indigenist alternatives to the status quo.

Engagements

• University of Winnipeg, MB Nov. 4, 2005
• The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA Nov. 7, 2005
• Shoreline Community College, Seattle, WA Nov. 8, 2005

Right wing blogs are trying to make a big deal of the visit (as they have done elsewhere). Look here, here, and here for more.

Here's another small bit of TESC irony. The first book donated to the library was The American Legion Story, donated by the local AL. The book was stored in the old Olympia Brewery (along with the other earliest library acquisitions) until the new building on campus was constructed.