University of Kentucky Student Government Forum Committee FOCUS '68
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- University of Kentucky Student Government Forum Committee FOCUS '68
- Date
- 1945-1968 (inclusive)
- 1967-1968 (bulk)
- Extent
- 0.3 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Nineteen sixty-eight, A.D.
- Student organizations -- Kentucky -- Lexington.
- Student activities -- Kentucky -- Lexington
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by format.
- Preferred Citation
- 0000ua084: [identification of item], University of Kentucky Student Government Forum Committee FOCUS '68 records, 1945-1968, bulk 1967-1968, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- University-wide student government at the University of Kentucky (UK) began on January 8, 1912, with the first elections of officers for the Student Self Government Organization. The following year, a Student Legislature was also formed. In 1939, a Student Government Association was established, taking the place of the Student Self Government Organization. In 1958, this organization, in turn, was replaced by a Student Congress. In spring 1966, the Student Congress merged with the Student Center Board to become Student Government.
- The Forum Committee that organized the FOCUS '68 symposium was a unit of UK Student Government. University of Kentucky students Carson P. Porter and O.K. Curry, Jr., chair and vice-chair of the respectively, planned and organized the symposium along with other members of the committee and various Focus planning committees. Scheduled speakers included Alfred B. Fitt, Assistant Secretary of Defense; T. George Harris, senior editor of Look Magazine; Mohammad Ali, heavyweight boxing champion; Thruston B. Morton, Kentucky Senator; Stanley P. Herbert, Department Counsel, US Navy; F. Lee Bailey, criminal defense attorney; Frank A. Rose, President, University of Alabama; and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. However, Kennedy and Ali cancelled their appearances following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 4, one day before the symposium was scheduled to begin. Bill Turner, a student representative from the Black Student Union, and Mike Farmer, a Student Government representative, spoke instead. Coincidentally, Dr. King had been invited to the symposium, but declined, and his letters are included in this collection.
- Sources: 1. 2018ua018: "Student Government" folders, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center. General Reference Subject Files.
- Scope and Content
- The University of Kentucky Student Government Forum Committee FOCUS '68 records (dated 1945-1968, bulk 1967-1968; 0.3 cubic feet; 2 boxes) comprise correspondence, operating records, printed material, photographs, and reel-to-reel audio recordings that document the creation and execution of FOCUS '68: "Focus on Social Inequities" symposium developed by the University of Kentucky (UK) Student Government Forum Committee and held at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky., on April 5 and 6, 1968. The correspondence includes speaker invitations written by student organizers Carson P. Porter and O.K. Curry, Jr., UK President John W. Oswald, and Kentucky Governor Ned Breathitt, along with acceptance or declination letters, including from Clark Kerr, Robert F. Kenney, Jr., Hubert Humphrey, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Willard Wirtz. Operating records include lists of invitees and their status; Focus committee structure and roles; a meeting agenda; and the program and tickets for the symposium. Printed material includes three brochures about UK and a program for IMPACT: "The Individual in Society" 1967 symposium held at Vanderbilt University. Letters to O.K. Curry, Jr., from Rickie Rhodarmer, the Delegations Chairman for IMPACT '67, in the correspondence folder indicates that Curry attended. Photographs comprise head shots of invited participants, including John W. Oswald, Muhammad Ali, and Hubert Humphrey. The two audio recordings contain the speeches given at the symposium by Alfred B. Fitt, T. George Harris, and UK students Bill Turner and Mike Farmer (tape 1, April 5, 1968); and Thurston Morton, Stanley Herbert, F. Lee Bailey, and Frank Rose (tape 2, April 6, 1968).
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment
- Use Restrictions
- Property rights reside with the University of Kentucky. The University of Kentucky holds the copyright for materials created in the course of business by University of Kentucky employees. Copyright for all other materials has not been assigned to the University of Kentucky. For information about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Special Collections Research Center.
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Table of Contents
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
