Ken Owen (left) interviews Dan Quayle (right) at the 1982 commencement.
Quayle gave the commencement speech and was in his first
term as a U.S. senator for Indiana at the time.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KEN OWEN
Just two days before his 68th birthday, it was announced that the 44th Vice President of the United States and 1969 DePauw alum Dan Quayle would be making an appearance at DePauw University as the school year’s latest Ubben lecturer.
In an email to the campus community, President Brian Casey wrote, “Mr. Quayle will engage in a moderated discussion with Professor of Communication Jeff McCall, ’76.” Casey also stated that the event will take place in Meharry Hall on Tuesday, March 31.
Before becoming the 44th Vice President under George H. W. Bush from 1989-1993, Quayle—who hails from Huntington, Indiana—served two terms each as a U.S. Representative and Senator. He then sought the Republican nomination for President in 2000, before withdrawing and lending his support to George W. Bush. He has also published a memoir, “Standing Firm.”
According to Executive Director of Media Relations Ken Owen, who has known Quayle since his commencement speech in 1982, talks with Quayle have been ongoing.
“I had interest in bringing Dan back from the time I got back on campus in 2001. I’ve probably been working on this for five years, maybe six.”
It wasn’t until this year, however, that the scheduling has come together on both ends.
Sophomore political science major, Mary Grace Morgese, encourages everyone to attend whether or not they agree with Quayle’s politics.
“It’s an amazing opportunity not just for political science majors to listen to a great speaker, whether or not they agree with his views,” Morgese said.
Owen agreed.
“His politics and my politics may be different in some ways but he’s a really nice guy and loves this place and has great affection for all things DePauw,” he said.
Though the date for the lecture is set, Owen is not yet sure how long Quayle will be staying on campus, and what his interaction with the student body will be like outside of his remarks in Meharry Hall, stating that possible activities for Quayle during his time here are “very much in flux.”
“We’ve been asking about this for a long time and now we’ve got a yes so we’ll see how it goes.”
This announcement came just two days before the semester’s first Ubben lecturer, Piper Kerman, whose book “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison,” was the basis for the Netflix original series of the same name.
Considering this year’s lineup has included Jimmy Kimmel, and New York Times columnist David Brooks with Kerman, Indiana Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and now Quayle still on the horizon, Owen added that he feels good about how this year has gone.
“I’ve just been pestering them and pestering them in a very friendly and loving way,” he said of the work it has taken to bring these speakers to campus. “We’ve been very fortunate this year in that it was a perfect storm of yeses.”