October 2, 2003

 

 Antioch marks anniversary with year of special events

One hundred and fifty years ago, on Oct. 5, 1853, Horace Mann, the first president of Antioch College, stood on the Main Building steps and delivered a two-hour inaugural address to thousands of villagers and visitors who had traveled to Yellow Springs to hear the renowned educator speak.

This weekend, the college will hold a Founder’s Day Celebration to honor Mann’s address and Antioch’s history in its sesquicentennial year.

This Sunday, Oct. 5, the celebration kicks off with a community luncheon and picnic, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the Antioch cafeteria, followed by the dedication of the college’s new Ohio historical marker, which will take place at 2 p.m. in front of Main Building. Next, Scott Sanders, the Antioch University archivist, will present “150 Years of Antioch History in 60 Minutes or Less,” which he calls a “light, irreverent” look at the college’s past. That event takes place from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the Herndon Gallery.

Organizers are extending a special invitation to the Yellow Springs community.

“We’re hoping to have lots of community participation,” said Jane Garrison, director of stewardship and special events at Antioch. “Yellow Springs has been supportive of Antioch for so long, and we appreciate that. It’s important to the college that Yellow Springs feels a part of our community.”

Lunch will be provided, although those who plan to attend should make reservations by calling 769-1200 or 1-800-411-6780, or e-mailing alumni@antioch-college.edu.

In his talk, Sanders will focus on some of the college’s most colorful personalities, including Mann.

“This place gives me great material, with both students and faculty who have fascinating personalities,” Sanders said. “It’s a magical mix of the famous and the notorious.”

Sunday’s events will be a part of a yearlong series of sesquicentennial events that feature distinguished Antioch College graduates, according to organizers.

An opening reception for a cartoonist exhibition will take place this Saturday, Oct. 4, from 6 to 9 p.m., at Herndon Gallery. The event will feature the work of Antioch grads Jennifer Berman, Nicholas Downes, Sara Linquist, Vivian Hixson and Ed Fisher. The exhibit runs from Oct. 4 to Nov. 1.

On Friday, Oct. 24, a panel discussion, “The Courage of Social Scientists,” will be presented from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and from 8 to 10 p.m. in Kelly Hall in Main Building. The event honors Antioch grad and social scientist Robert Krinsky, and will feature alumni David Apter, Cynthia Fuchs Epstein, Heinz Eulau, Gordon Fellman, Fred Greenstein and Allan Pred.

Also that weekend, on Saturday, Oct. 25, Antioch grad Lisa Delpit, an educator and recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship, will join the social scientist panel and accept the Horace Mann Award. The event will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. at Herndon Gallery, with a reception following.

On Wednesday, Dec. 3, photographer and writer Wendy Taylor Ewald, a member of the Class of 1974, will speak, with a reception following. That event takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Herndon Gallery.

On Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2004, from 7 to 9 p.m. in Herndon, Eleanor Holmes Norton, congresswoman from the District of Columbia and a member of the Antioch Class of 1960, will speak. She will be joined by Joan Lester, an author and 1962 graduate.

The events continue on Friday, March 5, with a presentation in celebration of International Women’s Day by painter and feminist Emma Amos, a 1958 graduate. That event also takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. in Herndon.

On Monday, March 29, Sylvia Law, a law professor, MacArthur Fellow and 1964 graduate, will speak at Herndon Gallery from 7 to 9 p.m.

Mark Strand, a former U.S. poet laureate and member of the Class of 1957, will also be a part of the year’s festivities, at a date to be announced later.

—Diane Chiddister