2008 Woodie Awards
'President Truman' visits UMKC - again
Derek Simons
Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: News
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Three days after signing the United Nations Charter in San Francisco, President Harry S. Truman accepts an honorary Doctorate of Law degree on the steps of Scofield Hall.
Now fast forward to Oct. 3, 2008, at the Administrative Center, UMKC.
As part of the university's 75th Anniversary celebration, William Worley, adjunct history professor, executed a spot-on impersonation of Truman, recreating memories and events from the life of the only 20th century president without a regular university degree.
"I was very proud to receive the honorary degree," Worley (as Truman) said.
Truman studied at the downtown Kansas City School of Law from 1923-25, which, at the time, was a proprietary school.
Owned by the lawyers running it, and was the only higher education school in the city holding night classes. (While studying, Truman served during the day on the Jackson County Court.) This was well before various schools in the city were combined together to create UKC (thanks in large part to William Volker), according to Worley.
The UMKC alumni, professors and staff attending the event seemed enthralled by Worley's performance of living history. They participated in the subsequent question and answer session, maintaining in full the fiction of who was present. At times, some of the comments of the more elderly members of the audience veered perilously close to not distinguishing Worley from the real Truman.
"I was proud to serve under your command, sir," commented one participant. (Worley promptly thanked the man for his service.)
But, for the most part, the audience tossed a barrage of precise queries toward the history professor.
The variety of topics ranged from the days of his local Kansas City friendships and connections with political boss Tom Pendergast, to the sequence of events surrounding decisions to launch the atomic bombs. Worley replied in character with an impressive command of facts and dates, prompting Leo Sweeney (UKC class of '51) to ask him if he had a photographic memory. (He said he does not.)
Sweeney, who will retire next month after 51 years of working here at the university, wasn't present in 1945 for Truman's speech. He did, however, participate in a parade in the president's honor three years later.
"I was an Army Reserve," Sweeney said. "They gave me a special jeep to drive and we created a sort of honor guard for the president."
Later, in his role as Registrar and Admissions director, Sweeney dug up Truman's transcript from the files and wrote to the former president asking if he would like to have it sent to his library.
"His Law School transcript is in the library in Independence," Sweeney said. "He was an above-average student. I received a letter of thanks from Truman which I still treasure. In the corner where the stamp would go, he just scribbled his name."
Worley's initial set piece included revisiting Truman's trip to the Republic of Mexico - a first for an American president - and his convincing Mexican President Miguel Alemán to visit the United States. In 1947, Alemán also gave a speech on the steps of Scofield Hall.
Worley explained how this exchange of friendship transformed the "good neighbor policy" into the "best neighbor policy."
The afternoon was organized by the Harry S. Truman Center for Governmental Affairs.
The Truman Center was officially authorized by the former president himself in 1969 with a letter to then-Chancellor James C. Olson, but has really only been active since 2006, according to former Interim Dean Dale Newman.
In 2007, College of Arts and Sciences dean Karen Vorst signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Truman Public Library, providing a framework of collaboration for events.
Vorst credited Newman as the driving force behind the center since then.
The Truman center established the Bootstrap Award last year, sending two students to Washington to intern in Congress, and intends to expand the program this year.
Next week, a public forum on health care policy is planned for Oct. 13 at the Kauffmann Foundation Conference Center.
dsimons@unews.com
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