TV & Newspaper Reports Preview Gen. Wesley Clark's DePauw Visit

September 18, 2003

September 18, 2003, Greencastle, Ind. - "Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark's announcement [that he is running for president] raised expectations for his visit to DePauw University in Greencastle next week," notes today's Indianapolis Star. Meanwhile, Indianapolis CBS television affiliate WISH came to the DePauw campus yesterday and aired a lengthy report at 6 p.m. last night on the general's Timothy and Sharon Ubben Lecture Tuesday night.

[DOWNLOAD VIDEO: "Gen. Clark is Coming to DePauw" 814KB] "He announced his candidacy today in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas," said WISH co-anchor Debby Knox. "Next week, he'll bring his message to the campus of DePauw University." Reporter Mary McDermott added, "DePauw booked Clark in August thinking that he would talk about the war in Iraq and the state of the nation. Now, it's a safe bet he'll be talking politics, as well."

[DOWNLOAD VIDEO: "The Buzz" 454KB] "There was a buzz when we booked him that he might be running for president," Ken Owen '82, director of media relations and coordinator of the Ubben Series, told the station. "It was a longshot that it would happen in this kind of a way, but it has turned out this way, and we're very happy about that."

The TV report points out that, once General Clark officially entered the race at noon on Wednesday, [DOWNLOAD VIDEO: "Meeting Anticipated Demand" 981KB] "DePauw made some changes in its plans, anticipating a bigger crowd. It was originally going to hold Clark's speech in [Kresge] Auditorium, which seats about 1400 people. Today, the school decided to move the speech to the gym inside the Lilly Center, which can hold about 3,000 people." Owen adds, "I'm getting calls from 'Draft Clark' supporters who are saying that people from four to five states might be coming."

The Star writes, "Clark will speak at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Neal Fieldhouse. The lecture, 'Facing America's Challenges,' is free and open to the public. You can access the newspaper item by clicking here. Read detailed stories on General Clark's visit here and here.