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Campus Visitors Timeline

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  1. 1890
  2. 1900
  3. 1925
  4. 1950
  5. 1975
  6. 2000
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  1. 5/26/1913 Franklin D. Roosevelt gives commencement address Franklin Delano Roosevelt, then assistant Secretary of the Navy, spoke at commencement exercises. He implored young men to "stay East" because the western expansion of the nation meant abandoned farms in the east.
  2. 5/17/1922 Evolution debate Entomology professor Zeno P. Metcalf debates Bible Conference leader William B. Riley on the topic "Resolved: That Evolution is a Demonstrated Fact" in the old Pullen Hall.
  3. 11/21/1925 Agriculture Club social event The Agriculture Club of State College hosts a "Barn-warming" for visiting farmers at Thompson Gym.
  4. 4/14/1927 B.W. Wells lecture Dr. B.W. Wells gives a lecture on plant evolution as part of the Phi Kappa Phi lecture series.
  5. 10/25/1932 Franklin Delano Roosevelt visits Presidential candidate Franklin Delano Roosevelt makes a campaign stop in Raleigh; State College suspends classes for the day so that students may attend the speech, with the band performing at the event.
  6. 5/16/1938 Jimmy Dorsey visits Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra performs at a dance sponsored by the Interfraternity Council.
  7. 11/11/1938 Chinese delegates visit Chinese delegates address State College students and Raleigh citizens in an event sponsored by the YMCA and YWCA.
  8. 11/17/1939 First annual High School Day The first annual High School Day brings approximately 6,000 seniors to visit NC State's campus; many stay to attend the State-Duquesne football game, as well.
  9. 4/24/1942 Famous hypnotist Dr. Polgar visits
  10. 8/1947 General Eisenhower visits during Home and Farm Week In his remarks at the event Eisenhower celebrated North Carolina history and agriculture and suggested that the United States could be a global leader in the aftermath of World War II.
  11. 10/19/1948 President Truman visits President Truman reviews techniques of State College ROTC cadets during a parade.
  12. 11/11/1949 Dedication of the Memorial Bell Tower The Memorial Bell Tower is dedicated, with former Governor R. Gregg Cherry present at the ceremony.
  13. 10/10/1950 UNC System presidential inauguration In a ceremony at NC State, Gordon Gray is inaugurated as the second president of the UNC System; the new president vows to not tolerate Communism among faculty members.
  14. 4/1/1953 World Series of Basketball A game in the 4th annual World Series of Basketball, featuring the 1953 All-Americans versus the Harlem Globetrotters, is played in Reynolds Coliseum.
  15. 5/22/1953 Raleigh-Durham TV Fair The first Raleigh-Durham TV Fair concludes at Reynolds Coliseum. Stars appearing at the fair included Homer and Jethro of the Breakfast Club and Mrs. Hank Williams.
  16. 2/13/1957 Louis Armstrong visits Jazz pioneer Louis Armstrong performs at Reynolds Coliseum.
  17. 3/4/1958 Ogden Nash visits Ogden Nash lectures in the ballroom of the College Union Building as part of the Fine Arts Festival.
  18. 9/17/1960 John F. Kennedy visits Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy appears in Reynolds Coliseum before a crowd estimated at 8,000 persons. Kennedy sharply criticizes Vice President Nixon in his dealings with Khrushchev.
  19. 10/21/1960 Kingston Trio performs The Kingston Trio performs at Reynolds Coliseum.
  20. 10/26/1960 John Dos Passos visits Novelist John Dos Passos, author of Manhattan Transfer and the U.S.A. trilogy, gives a lecture at the College Union.
  21. 11/16/1960 Lawrence Ferlinghetti visits Lawrence Ferlinghetti, a noted poet associated with the Beat Generation, gives a lecture at the College Union.
  22. 3/7/1962 Adlai Stevenson visits Adlai Stevenson, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, delivers the first annual Harrelson Lecture at Reynolds Coliseum.
  23. 12/10/1962 Unpopularity of potential name change Governor Sanford gets booed after an NC State-Wake Forest basketball game in Reynolds Coliseum by students protesting the possible name change of the University from North Carolina State College to the University of North Carolina at Raleigh.
  24. 3/30/1963 Lady Bird Johnson visits Lady Bird Johnson, wife of Vice President Lyndon Johnson, visits the School of Agriculture.
  25. 6/25/1963 Speaker Ban Bill passes The Speaker Ban Bill passes through the NC House, prohibiting anyone with "known Communist ties" from speaking on any state-supported campus, including NC State.
  26. 9/26/1963 National Association of State Departments meeting The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture hold a meeting at the Faculty Recreation Center. Members came from all over the U.S. and discussion ranged from hula girls to cheese.
  27. 10/10/1963 Stan Getz performs Jazz saxophonist Stan Getz performs at Reynolds Coliseum.
  28. 10/6/1964 "Lady Bird Special" Whistle-stop Tour President Lyndon Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson are accompanied by UNC System President William Friday at a Democratic presidential campaign rally held in Reynolds Coliseum. More than 14,000 attend the rally, with hundreds more outside. The rally was part of Mrs. Johnson’s whistle-stop tour through the South on the "Lady Bird Special."
  29. 10/6/1964 President Lyndon Johnson campaign speech President Lyndon Johnson made a campaign speech before an audience of 13,000 people in Reynolds Coliseum. The president warned that a victory for opponent Barry Goldwater would mean cuts in farm programs.
  30. 10/11/1964 London Symphony performs The London Symphony performs on campus as a part of the Friends of the College concert series. The orchestra received a standing ovation after their performance, playing music from Stravinsky, Vaughn, Mozart, and Brahms.
  31. 11/10/1965 Rolling Stones perform The Rolling Stones perform at Reynolds Coliseum. The Stones are joined by Patti LaBelle for the show.
  32. 3/2/1966 Martin Niemoller visits Martin Niemoller, a German Lutheran pastor who was imprisoned in a concentration camp for his anti-Nazi views, gives a speech at Erdahl-Cloyd Student Union. Niemoller is perhaps best knows as the author of the poem "First they came..."
  33. 4/1/1966 Bob Hope performs Comedian Bob Hope performs at Reynolds Coliseum.
  34. 11/15/1967 Brigade of Guards perform Two units of Queen Elizabeth II's Brigade of Guards (the Band of the Welsh Guards and the pipes, drums, and dancers of the Scots Guards) join forces for a "pageant" of music, marching, and dancing at Reynolds Coliseum.
  35. 11/9/1968 Folksinger Bob Godfrey performs
  36. 11/7/1969 5th Dimension performance The 5th Dimension perform at Reynolds Coliseum.
  37. 10/7/1971 Ralph Nader visits Ralph Nader addresses over 800 people about the formation of a North Carolina Research Group (NC-PIRG) in the Union Ballroom.
  38. 3/24/1972 Vienna Symphony performance The Vienna Symphony perform in Reynolds Coliseum.
  39. 8/30/1972 David Frye visits Comedian David Frye puts on a show at the Student Center Theatre.
  40. 10/6/1972 Cleveland Orchestra performance The Cleveland Orchestra opens up the Friends of the College program at the Reynolds Colliseum with a performance in front of 21,000 people.
  41. 10/20/1973 Lili Kraus performance Hungarian pianist Lili Kraus performs on campus.
  42. 2/18/1974 Uri Geller visits Famed Israeli psychic Uri Geller puts on a show at the Stewart Theatre, bending keys with his mind.
  43. 11/20/1974 George Faison Universal Dance Experience visits Stewart Theatre hosts the George Faison Universal Dance Experience.
  44. 1/26/1977 Leonard Nimoy visits Leonard Nimoy, famous for his role as Mr. Spock on the television show "Star Trek," speaks at Stewart Theatre.
  45. 1/30/1978 Mike Cross performs Mike Cross performs to a sold-out crowd at the Stewart Theatre, and gives a 20 minute encore.
  46. 9/20/1980 Elton John performance Singer Elton John performs at Reynolds Coliseum.
  47. 3/23/1981 Mel Blanc visits Mel Blanc, legendary voice of cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig, gives a lecture at Stewart Theatre.
  48. 6/25/1985 Missed interview Technician entertainment writer Lee Johnson is unable to interview rock band Hüsker Dü following their show at The Brewery because his tape recorder was damaged during the show.
  49. 9/5/1985 President Ronald Reagan visits President Reagan promoted tax reform during a speech in Reynolds Coliseum. Afterwards the president met with students, and Student Body President Jay Everette gained notoriety when he asked reporters to respect the students' time with the president.
  50. 2/2/1990 President George Bush visits President Bush toured two labs used in microelectronics research and joined a roundtable discussion on the international competitiveness in high-tech industries.
  51. 2/1991 President Jimmy Carter attends Emerging Issues Forum Before a crowd of 1,300 people, the former president raised questions about the United States handling of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, and he called for the U.S. and Soviet Union to organize an international peace conference to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
  52. 10/5/1992 President Bill Clinton visits Presidential candidate Bill Clinton addressed 600 people in Stewart Theatre. He announced his support for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
  53. 2003 Yolanda King speaks on campus Yolanda King, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s daughter, addressed students in Stewart Theatre as part of the NCSU MLK Commemoration. King urged a crowd of more than 500 to shake off apathy and tackle social problems such as poverty, hunger and intolerance.
  54. 5/6/2008 President Barak Obama visit Presidential candidate Barak Obama appeared before a crowd at Reynolds Coliseum shortly after defeating rivals in the Democratic presidential primaries.
  55. 1/26/2009 President Bill Clinton at Millennium Seminar Series Former President Bill Clinton addressed 6,000 people, stating that the world would best find its way to peace and prosperity through “communitarianism.”
  56. 9/11/2011 President Obama at rally President Barak Obama spoke before an audience in Reynolds Coliseum. During the speech he promoted the American Jobs Act.