Word: aloian
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...most years, the thinking on the question of a speaker gets going early in the academic year. Aloian recalls that last fall he, Van der Eb and Fred F. Glimp, vice president for alumni affairs and development--the Mass Hall representative--began discussing topics and speakers and comparing lists of about 30-35 names each. Van der Eb, a business executive from Chicago, was the one to include Watson on his list. "I was hoping for a leading businessman with qualities beyond the qualities of business," recalls Van der Eb. "I felt that with the advent...
...honorary from Harvard, in June 1975, so there would be no problems coordinating his selection with the Overseers' committee. (The AHA is consulted on the selection of the honorary recipients, and has the option of selecting a speaker from that list, which is usually nearly finalized by late winter.) Aloian, without naming names, said recently that early this year--long before the Reagan issue came up--one other person besides Watson was formally invited (a Third World head of state, according to one source) and another was approached. Neither idea worked out--a circumstance which is not at all unusual...
Meanwhile, the AHA's selection process for a Commencement speaker had narrowed in on Watson; he was invited in March and accepted in early April, Aloian said. But the apparent interest from Reagan added a whole new element. "I personally feel that if the president wants to speak at a university, he should be able to," Van der Eb said. If Reagan wished to speak at Harvard, it was clear, he would be welcomed: Graham T. Allison Jr. '62, dean of the Kennedy School, has had an open invitation to Reagan since he became president. But the only appropriate place...
...David Aloian felt a mixture of disappointment and relief. "I think the whole panoply of a presidential pronouncement tends to be a very exciting thing." On the other hand, he added, there is a sense of relief in not having to go through the job of coordinating the extensive security and scheduling arrangements that accomapny a presidential appearance. And, added another Wadsworth House official, there was relief because Reagan's speaking at Commencement would have overshadowed the ceremony itself and turned it into a media event...
...more thing, added Aloian, reflecting on the Reagan rejection as he relaxed in his office once the secret of Thomas J. Watson had been safely exposed to the world. "Part of the relief is knowing...