I passed on the information about Jack Kevorkian speaking at U. of F to my uncle who also graduated from there and this was his response – first to Accent, the student run speaker’s bureau that invited him:
My wife and I both graduated from The University of Florida and were married across University Ave within a stone’s throw from campus. We love Gainesville, and are extremely proud to be Gators.
That pride will be severely damaged if you bring Dr. Death to Hogtown. What possible good could come from having Dr. Kevorkian speak? You legitimize all that he stands for by paying him money (big money) to speak and try to influence people.
It’s a sad day for The University of Florida if he truly comes to campus. I implore you to reconsider.
Then to the university President:
Dr. Machen,
My wife and I both graduated from The University of Florida and were married right across the street the weekend after my graduation. We love the traditions of UF, including the academics, the camaraderie of alums older than my grandparents, the atmosphere, Mr. Two-Bits, and certainly the athletics. What a great time to be a Gator. Nobody has ever been a more rabid Gator than this one, living in the heart of Georgia Bulldog country.
From Danny Wuerffel to Steve Spurrier to Lon Kruger to Urban Meyer to Billy Donovan to Reggie Nelson to Al Horford to Corey Brewer to Joakim Noah and on and on, this great institution has always been represented by decency. It’s obvious that when you and Jeremy Foley look for a hire, you bring upstanding individuals to be part of the face of UF, and they in turn usually recruit upstanding athletes.
It is a sad day for the University of Florida when we spit on all of this effort by bringing (and paying) Jack Kevorkian in to speak. This legitimizes all that he stands for, and no disclaimer can erase that fact. I implore you to intervene and keep Dr. Death from giving a black eye to my beloved University of Florida.
Very eloquent, don’t you think? I wonder what kind of response they are getting and if it will have any impact. You can respond in the following ways:
To sign to Schiavo Foundation’s petition “Stop Dr. Death”:
http://tool.donation-net.net/entrance/enter.cfm?dn=1068&…
To express your concerns contact:
ACCENT Speech Bureau
300-1 JWRU, Room 306
P.O. Box 118505
Gainesville, FL 32611-8505
Tel: 352-392-1665 ext. 306
Fax: 352-392-8072
Website: http://www.sg.ufl.edu/accent
Email: accent@sg.ufl.edu
Press/Upcoming Show Information: 352-392-1665 ext. 411
J. Bernard Machen
President of University of Florida
president@ufl.edu