Index of University Press Releases

Aug. 5, 2006

President Clinton to headline McGovern Library dedication

MITCHELL, S.D. – Former President Bill Clinton will attend the dedication of the George and Eleanor McGovern Library at Dakota Wesleyan University on Oct. 7.

George McGovern expressed his pleasure from his home in Montana.

“I’m thrilled that President Clinton will be joining Eleanor and me at the dedication of this library and center for public service,” McGovern said. “His attendance will certainly be the highlight for us on this special day.”

The $8.5 million library will house a legacy exhibit featuring McGovern’s story as the son of a small-town Methodist minister who became a 22-year U.S. Congressman and the only South Dakotan to be selected as a national party nominee for president.

Clinton and McGovern have enjoyed a friendship spanning more than 30 years, dating back to Clinton’s work on McGovern’s campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination.

“When I announced my candidacy for the presidential nomination in January of 1971, Bill Clinton was a student at Yale Law School,” said McGovern. “He turned up in my senate office in Washington one day and said he wanted to go to work for me, organizing my campaign in his home state of Arkansas. My campaign manager, Gary Hart, and I felt that he was too talented to send to a relatively small state, so we asked him to handle the campaign in Texas. Then, he stayed on and managed the Texas campaign in the general election against Nixon.”

In 1998, during his second term as president, Clinton appointed McGovern ambassador to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome. In 2000, Clinton presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to McGovern.

“Receiving the Medal of Freedom was one of the proudest moments of my life,” said McGovern.

“George McGovern is an American patriot,” said President Clinton. “From his service in World War II to his years in Congress and his run for President to service as an ambassador to the UN, McGovern has exemplified the American dream. This library is a testament to his and Eleanor’s service and dedication to our country.”

In addition to the formal dedication on Oct. 7, the weekend’s activities will include the following events.

• Legendary 60s folk musicians Peter, Paul and Mary will kick off the celebration with a concert at the World’s Only Corn Palace at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5. George and Eleanor McGovern will join them on stage to reminisce about their earlier days. Tickets are on sale at the Corn Palace Box Office at 1-800-289-7469 or www.cornpalacefestival.com.
   
• Confirmed guests for the Friday, Oct. 6 lectures in the Sherman Center include Catherine Bertini and Jeffrey D. Sachs. This is free and open to the public.
   
• DWU and the McGoverns will recognize financial supporters who made the library a reality at Friday evening’s donor banquet. Bob Dole will receive the first McGovern Award for Leadership and Public Service. This event is by invitation.
   
• Kory and the Fireflies will entertain during the community barbeque and open house following the dedication ceremony. The public is invited to the dedication, barbeque and concert free of charge.
   
• The final event of the dedication is the South Dakota premier of the film, “One Bright Shining Moment: The Forgotten Summer of George McGovern,” highlighting McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign. Producer Stephen Vittoria and George McGovern will introduce the film at 4 p.m. at the Luxury 5 Cinemas. Tickets will be available at the door.

In addition to the state-of-the-art library facilities and special collections, the library will house classrooms, offices, a coffeehouse, the campus bookstore, and the McGovern Center for Leadership and Public Service.

South Dakota artist Jon Crane will create the official painting of the McGovern Library.

For updates to this schedule, visit the McGovern Library Web site.