As Americans reflect on the 40th anniversary of John F.Kennedy's assassination, some might remember the day he was shot orhis push for civil rights.
Louis Ingelhart, Ball State professor emeritus, remembersKennedy the man, as well as his visit to Ball State before hecampaigned for the presidency.
Before Kennedy's visit, Ingelhart said, he and former Englishprofessor Charles Vancleeve were "always looking for a goodspeaker."
Vancleeve came across the name John F. Kennedy, "a popular,young senator," Ingelhart said.
Vancleeve sent a letter to Kennedy, asking him to speak at BallState, but Kennedy said he was not available at the time Vancleevewanted him to come, Ingelhart said.
Then, Kennedy decided he might run for president, Ingelhartsaid, so he contacted Vancleeve to inform him that he would speakat the university.
But there was a problem: At that time, Ball State did not allowspeakers who were running for political office.
"Technically, he was not a candidate for office," Ingelhartsaid.
To ensure's Kennedy's arrival, Ingelhart said members of theAmerican Association of University Professors decided to take theissue to university president John Emens in hopes of getting thepolicy changed. The issue was then taken to the board oftrustees.
Ingelhart said the AAUP asked him to write another policy.Ingelhart said the new policy is more open because it allows"anyone to come to campus to talk about anything."
Ingelhart said the change, an important step in the university'shistory, brought Ball State policy up to date.
"I think everybody realized it was one of the first times amajor political figure was on campus," Earl Conn -- dean emeritusof the College of Communication, Information, and Media --said.
The day of Kennedy's speech -- April 7, 1960 -- Ingelhart saidhe invited local media, including high-school journalism students,to a press conference with Kennedy.
Ingelhart said Kennedy first visited with some women Democratsin downtown Muncie while keeping 250 journalists waiting at theStudent Center.
At one point, Ingelhart said a man approached him, saying he wasa friend of Kennedy's and would like to see him. Ingelhart refusedto let him in the room, as it was for press only, and told him towait near the area where Kennedy would enter.
The man, in turn, told him he was the mayor of Dublin,Ireland.
As the wait for Kennedy dragged on, Ingelhart said he introducedthe mayor of Dublin to the media for his own press conference.
When Kennedy did arrive, he was "pretty clever at fieldingquestions.
"It was a marvelous press conference," Ingelhart said.
Conn said Kennedy's personality, youth and vigor were evident athis Ball State appearance.
"He was certainly an impressive person," he said.
Conn said Kennedy came to Ball State with Pierre Salinger, wholater became his press secretary, and Lawrence O'Brien, who washead of the Democratic party.
Kennedy's appearance made a lasting impression on Ingelhart.
"That led to something personally I never dreamed would happen,"he said.
Ingelhart was invited to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.four or five times with other people involved in education.
"That is the joy of having the kind of job I do," Ingelhartsaid.
The 1960 event would not be the only time when a Kennedy spokeat Ball State.
In 1968, Conn was an assistant professor of journalism and headof the Robert Kennedy campaign in Delaware County. Robert Kennedyalso came to Ball State as part of his presidential campaign, justafter he entered the Indiana primary.
Conn said the event was held in the University Gym, now calledIrving Gym.
"The University Gym was packed," Conn said.
Ingelhart said he remembers helping Robert Kennedy's wife,Ethel, that day.
"Kennedy's like to get out amongst the people," Ingelhart said."His wife was having great difficulty keeping up with him."
Ingelhart said he remembered his time as a football tackle and"ran interference with her" to help her move through the crowd.
As Robert Kennedy left the university on his way to the MuncieAirport, he was notified that Martin Luther King, Jr. had beenshot, Conn said.
Robert Kennedy then went to Indianapolis.
"He gave an off-the-cuff speech to quiet Indianapolis in termsof possible racial problems," Conn said.
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