Today in History revisits the Wednesday, April 12, 1972, edition of the Obituary and highlights an article on the upcoming inauguration of Thomas J. Clifford as the eighth president of the University of North Dakota.
UND readying for: Inauguration set Friday
Thomas J. Clifford will be inaugurated Friday (April 14, 1972) as the eighth president of the University of North Dakota. Inaugurational ceremonies will be held at 10:30 a.m. in the Fieldhouse, and are open to the public.
It will be the first time in 17 years that the University will witness the academic pageantry of an inauguration. Clifford’s predecessor, Dr. George W. Starcher, was inaugurated April 20, 1955. Clifford began his duties July 1, 1971, when Starcher retired after 17 years of service at the mandatory retirement age of 65.
The ceremony will begin with an academic procession of student marshals, student representatives, delegates from colleges, universities and learned societies, UND faculty and administrative officials, members of the State Board of Higher Education, Clifford and platform guests.
Greetings will be heard from Gov. William L. Guy and representatives of faculty, alumni and students. Following installation ceremonies to be conducted by Rev. Peter Hinrichs, chairman of the State Board of Higher Education, Clifford will deliver the inaugural address.
University classes will be dismissed from 10 a.m. to noon to allow UND students, faculty and staff to attend the inauguration.
In the afternoon a symposium on “the University and the State” will be held at 2:30 in the Leonard Hall Lecture Bowl. Speakers will be Donald R. Grangaard, Minneapolis, president of the First Bank System; Donald C. Holand, Fargo, a member of the North Dakota Senate, and Dr. Durward B. Varner, president of the University of Nebraska.
Dr. John S. Penn, director of summer sessions, will preside.
Also in honor of the inauguration Arthur Honegger’s “King David” will be presented by the University Choral Union at 8 p.m. in the Fieldhouse. Guest narrator for the musical drama will be Sebastian Cabot, star of stage and screen.
“King David,” a symphonic psalm in three parts, will be dedicated to President and Mrs. Clifford.
A reception for the Cliffords will be held at the University Center following the concert.
Both the symposium and the concert are also free and open to the public.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.