The Trunk at Hillsdale

As you may have noticed, the Trunk has been out of commission for a day or two. He’s been at Hillsdale College to give a speech for the college’s Convocation. He’ll be back in the morning, but in the meantime, let’s welcome him home with a couple of photos that were sent in by Jonathan Walker, a Hillsdale student and photographer for the college’s yearbook. The first one shows Scott either before or after his speech–after, I’m guessing, from his relaxed demeanor:

Here he is, giving his Convocation speech:

Maybe when he returns, the Trunk will let us know what he said.
REPORTING LIVE FROM HILLSDALE COLLEGE: This morning I spoke at the spring convocation at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan on our experience in the Rathergate story. The convocation honored the graduating senior class, passed the gavel to the junior class, and named the distinguished teacher of the year — Biology Professor and college Dean Francis Steiner. Checking the email tonight, I find the kind message from student Jonathan Walker who wrote to say he enjoyed the question-and-answer session I held this afternoon with the college Republicans. Jonathan is also the photographer for the college yearbook and kindly forwarded the photographs of me above, which I am unable to post from the computer on which I’m working in the lobby of the college’s Dow Center. Thanks to John for posting them.
At Hillsdale I have been the guest of my friend President Larry Arnn, who invited me to speak at convocation. President Arnn sits next to me to the left in the picture above just before I gave my talk — both halves of “The 61st Minute” talk that John and I have been giving as a team since last October, modified for the occasion. The students, faculty, administrators and guests of the college could not have been warmer or more receptive.
I have not previously visited Hillsdale College. It is a historic and inspirational institution, one of two colleges in the country that accepts no federal aid for the purposes of maintaining its institutional independence. The college takes pride in its founders, in their connection to the founding of the Republican Party in nearby Jackson, Michigan (please don’t send the arguments to me on that subject), and on its connection to the Union cause in the Civil War, among many other things. The college owns one of the few original images of Frederick Douglass, who visited the campus and gave a speech here in 1863, a copy of which hangs in the lobby of Dow Center.
This evening Professor Paul Rahe of the University of Tulsa spoke on the issue of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. Professor Rahe is the author of the astouding three-volume history Republics Ancient and Modern. Professor Rahe held a packed room of at least 200 students spellbound for two hours, laying out the evidence on both sides of the issue and withholding judgment until the last paragraph of his remarkable speech. Professor Rahe was a member of the Thomas Jefferson Scholars Commission (click here for background on the commission and access to its report). All in all, an exhilarating day.