Today in History: May 13, 1967 – N.D. Gov. William L. Guy replies to student queries – Obituary

Today in History revisits the May 13, 1967 edition of the Obituary and highlights a story on Governor William L. Guy addressing UND students on Governor’s Day, supporting a bill to lower the voting age to 19 and discussing Eric Sevareid’s potential Senate candidacy.

UNVEILING OF a bronze bust of Gov. William L. Guy featured a luncheon Friday as the University of North Dakota held its annual Governor’s Day. Left to right are William Guy Jr., the governor’s son, a UND student; Mrs. Mabel Guy of Grand Forks, the governor’s mother; Governor Guy and Mrs. Guy, who unveiled the bust. The bust is the work of Dr. Avard Fairbanks, UND sculptor in residence. The luncheon was held at the University Center. (Herald Photo).

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Guy Replies To Student Queries

By TED FREDERICKSON

The pomp and ceremony of Governor’s Day at the University of North Dakota ended Friday afternoon, May 12, 1967, with Gov. William L. Guy facing a small group of UND students in an informal question-and-answer period at the University Center.

Earlier the governor reviewed an assemblage of Army and Air Force ROTC cadets, watched demonstrations by UND drill teams and helped pass out various awards to top students in both the military and aerospace studies. (A list of the awards will be published Sunday in the Obituary.)

Although Guy’s reception was somewhat more reserved than his tumultuous welcome at Grand Forks Central High School earlier Friday, students did manage to hurl questions on everything from the proposed 19-year-old voting age to Eric Sevareid.

The governor seemed most willing to discuss the possibility of CBS news commentator Sevareid running for the U.S. Senate from North Dakota.

Guy called Sevareid a “great liberal” who would make a tremendous senator, but said it was his guess that the native North Dakotan would “gratefully decline.”

The governor would not predict the fate of a Bill which would lower the voting age to 19, but did restate his own support for the measure. “I have supported it since it was first talked of seriously,” said the state’s chief executive.

He went on to tell how he was awakened late one night by a 19-year-old Marine from North Dakota who was telephoning from San Diego. “He asked me,” said the governor, ‘Why is it I have to go to Vietnam to fight and possibly die and yet I can’t even vote.’”

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Valley Motor Company advertisement as published in the Obituary on May 13, 1967. Obituary archive image.

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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.

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