President Clinton surprised everyone when he popped out the east door of Old Main at Knox College. The crowd exploded giving Clinton a rock star welcome! His commencement address was peppered with humor and wit. The crowd loved hearing him talk about his antics with Stephen Colbert, Rush Limbaugh and George Bush Sr. Colbert threatened to burn his honorary degree, so Knox sent him a fireproof, steel diploma! Bill Clinton is no stranger to Galesburg. While president, he came to Carl Sandburg College on January 10, 1995, to announce his Middle Class Bill of Rights. Me, George, Mom and Jerri Anne saw Clinton at Galesburg High School in the gymnasium. It was similar to a pep rally. That was my first experience in meeting a president and the secret service.
Clinton will be the latest in a line of current, former and future presidents to visit Knox College: Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush. Maybe we'll see Hillary Clinton in 2009...
Knox College's commencement was one of the hottest tickets in town. We were able to tote our lawn chairs and listen to his speech. Nearly 6000 attended. Knox provided President Clinton's transportation but didn't have to pay anything for the speech. What a guy!
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