Vernon Jordan '57 Shares His Story with UC Berkeley Students
November 7, 2001
November 7, 2001, Greencastle, Ind. - Civil rights legend and DePauw University alumnus Vernon Jordan, who inspired and entertained a packed Old Gold Day Convocation at his alma mater a week and a half ago, shared his stories with students at the University of California-Berkeley yesterday, November 6, 2001. An article in today's edition of the Daily Californian, UC Berkeley's student newspaper, recounts Jordan's speech before what writer Rachel Metz describes as a "packed room." She reports, "Several students said they were impressed by Jordan's storytelling abilities and varied career. UC Berkeley freshman Carl Williams said Jordan's talk was informative. 'I had heard of him being described as a person in high places that is black,' Williams said. 'He has come a long way from where he started but he hasn't forgotten where he's been and what it has taken to get here.' "
Metz writes, "Born in 1935, Jordan grew up in Georgia and attended DePauw University in the mid-1950s. As a DePauw sophomore in 1955 he was the only black student in his class."
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he article continues, "Harry Kreisler, executive director of the UC Berkeley Institute of International Studies, said, 'He's a very impressive figure in the history of the civil rights movement. He's a great storyteller.'"
Jordan's speech included the story of how he racially integrated a bathroom while taking his bar exam. You can read the complete text of the Daily Californian's story by clicking here.
You can enjoy complete coverage of Vernon Jordan's October 27 DePauw visit, including audio and video clips and photographs, by clicking here.
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