Audio of the Springfield College 1964 Commencement Ceremonies with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commencement Speech (June 14, 1964)

Item Information

Title:
Audio of the Springfield College 1964 Commencement Ceremonies with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commencement Speech (June 14, 1964)
Description:
This is the audio from Springfield College's 1964 Commencement Ceremonies. The first side (which is thirty-two minutes long) has roughly twenty-seven minutes of band music. The band opens with The Hebrides Suite and then transitions into Pomp and Circumstance. Around the twenty-eight minute mark, Reverend Robert A. Potter gives the invocation, followed by the hymn God Of Our Fathers. The second side opens immediately with then-president Dr. Glenn A. Olds introducing that year’s commencement speaker: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. At two minutes and forty seconds, Dr. King begins speaking. In this speech, he talks about social change, poverty, and brotherhood, saying: "We must all learn to live together as brothers, or we will all perish together as fools." At thirty-three minutes, Dr. King’s speech ends and, after applause, you hear the choir singing A Song for Springfield, followed by Benediction and the Recessional. There is no audio during the conferring of the degrees. For a written copy of Dr. King's commencement speech, see: http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/7848 For the audio of Dr. King's commencement speech and the introduction by Springfield College President Glenn A. Olds only see: https://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15370coll2/id/7943 For the audio of Dr. King's commencement speech only see: https://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15370coll2/id/27669. In 1964, Springfield College shared a moment in history often overlooked by historians with honorary degree recipient and commencement speaker Martin Luther King Jr. Despite significant pressure from prominent shareholders and benefactors of the College, college President Glenn A. Olds, a minister and conscientious objector during World War II, refused to waver from his decision to make Martin Luther King Commencement speaker for the 1964 Graduation ceremonies. When King was arrested the day before, Olds contacted law enforcement officials, telling them that if they continued to hold King, school officials would fly down to tape the commencement address, leaving St. Augustine to deal with the attendant publicity. Whether or not his intervention played a role, King was released on a nine hundred dollar bond Saturday afternoon. Met at the airport by Springfield College Economics Professor Robert Randolph, later the first black president of the Massachusetts State College System at Westfield State, King toured the campus, gave a press conference, and shared a brief luncheon with faculty and administration. On the day of commencement, Black Muslim protestors who felt King was too conciliatory and bomb-sniffing dogs greeted the graduating class. The Original reel was designed to record the Springfield College band and not the speeches and/or ceremonies. Extensive work was done to try and make the speeches as clear as possible, but given the location of the microphone (with the band and not on the podium) the audio is not always clear or sharp.;
Creator:
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968
Creator:
Potter, Robert A.
Creator:
Olds, Glenn A. (Glenn Alvero) 1921-2006
Creator:
Springfield College Band
Date:
June 14, 1964
Format:
Audio recordings (nonmusical)
Genre:
magnetic tape audio recording
Location:
Springfield College Archives and Special Collections
Collection (local):
College Archives Digital Collections
Series:
Springfield College Commencement Papers
Subjects:
Springfield College
Springfield College--Presidents
Springfield College--Clubs
Springfield College--Band
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968
Olds, Glenn A. (Glenn Alvero), 1921-2006
Springfield (Mass.)
Graduation ceremonies
Civil rights leaders
Audiovisual materials
Places:
Massachusetts > Hampden (county) > Springfield
Extent:
01:16:32
Link to Item:
http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/7943
Terms of Use:
Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
Contact host institution for more information.
Publisher:
Springfield College
Language:
English
Identifier:
MLK Springfield College 1964 Commencement