A great benefit of being in college is the opportunity to hear, engage with and learn from guest speakers. Throughout its history, Wofford has played host to numerous famous, interesting and sometimes controversial speakers, from entertainers to educators, from religious figures to presidential candidates. Here are four who stand out for one reason or another.
Perhaps one of the more unlikely and more interesting speakers to come to campus, given the era in which he lived, was Dr. George Washington Carver. He spoke to the student body in chapel at some point in December 1923, as recorded in an exchange of letters with President Henry Nelson Snyder. Carver wrote to Snyder to thank him for the “warm and sympathetic reception that I received at your college.” He continued, “It was a source of inspiration and pleasure to meet such a fine body of students, as well as members of the faculty. I shall not soon forget the very warm reception.” He also, in a handwritten note at the bottom of the letter, asked for a copy of any article from the Old Gold and Black student newspaper about his visit. Snyder wrote back to Carver, as one educator to another, to say, “You pleased our students immensely, and they felt greatly instructed by the experience of the hour which you gave them.”
On March 14, 1950, students, faculty and residents of Spartanburg were treated to an evening with acclaimed poet Robert Frost in Leonard Auditorium. Frost, who had spoken at Wofford the previous year, lectured on the topic of “Politics and Poetry.” Perhaps the most memorable part of the evening happened because Dr. Bill Hunter, the chair of the English department, had invited Carl Sandburg, who lived in nearby Flat Rock, N.C., to attend as well. Frost was irritated by Sandburg’s appearance, thinking the latter had appeared to show him up. Hunter never did admit that he’d extended the invitation, though he did acknowledge Sandburg’s presence in the audience. Frost mentioned Sandburg in his remarks, to which Sandburg’s voice could be heard to say, “I live on a high mountain 40 miles from here,” to which Frost replied, “You live on a high mountain? Is it a higher mountain than mine?”
While two future presidents and quite a few presidential candidates have made appearances on campus, only once has a former president spoken in Leonard Auditorium. On April 15, 1980, former President Gerald R. Ford was on campus, giving two guest lectures to classes in Shipp Hall Lounge and speaking to a campus convocation in Leonard. Ford spoke about the dangers of government by nostalgia and government by ideological reflex. Ford’s address was part of the college’s Mayfair Lecture Series, established by Fred Dent, a former U.S. secretary of commerce and Spartanburg resident.
Alumni of the 1950s and 1960s probably don’t remember most of the speakers they heard in chapel. However, it’s likely that nobody who heard or saw Karla LaVey speak in Leonard Auditorium in March 1973 will ever forget it. Perhaps some college staff members will never forget the overwhelming reaction to her from alumni and friends of the college. LaVey, a self-professed witch, spoke as part of a lecture series on “Religious Experience of 20th Century Man.” The daughter of Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey, she spoke about her belief in indulgence rather than abstinence. The Old Gold and Black noted that some 800 people filled Leonard Auditorium to see and hear LaVey, who, during her remarks, fielded pointed questions. One member of the audience tried to cast out her demon before he was escorted out. The Old Gold and Black concluded, “Most students felt that Ms. LaVey elaborated on ‘basic human nature’ and enjoyed her visit.” Many administrators did not enjoy the flurry of letters, many from Methodist churches, some from alumni and a few from area residents, that condemned the college for hosting the talk. One administrator later said that LaVey was the most expensive speaker the college ever had because of the number of wills that got changed as a result. Still, it was probably one of the more memorable lectures ever presented at Wofford.
By Dr. Phillip Stone ’94, college archivist