February 15, 2005 - Arthur 

Miller, one of the University’s 
most distinguished alumni and a 
leading force in American theater, 
died in his Roxbury, Conn., home 
Thursday night at age 89. The 
Associated Press reported heart 
failure as the cause of his death. 

The prolific playwright was 

born Oct. 17, 1915 to a prominent 
Polish-Jewish family in Harlem. 
He is best known for writing “All 
My Sons,” “Death of a Salesman” 
– which earned him a Pulitzer 
Prize – and “The Crucible.”

Before he made his Broadway 

premiere in 1944, he developed 
his writing skills as a University 
student from 1934 to 1938. 

He 
found 
the 
University 

alluring because of its Hopwoods 
Awards, creative-writing prizes 
given to students with a cash 
reward. 
The 
awards 
were 

established in 1931 in memory of 
dramatist Avery Hopwood. 

“This place seemed, because of 

the Hopwood Award, to be taking 
writing seriously,” Miller said 
during a visit to Ann Arbor last 
April. 

When financial constraints 

kept him in Ann Arbor one spring 
break, Miller found himself 
with enough free time to write 
a play, he recalled in his 1987 
autobiography, “Timebends” 

He 
submitted 
the 
highly 

autobiographical 
play, 

“No Villain,” about a coat 
manufacturer 
and 
shipping 

clerks’ strike, to the Hopwood 
Awards Committee in 1936 
under the pseudonym Beymom. 
The play won him $250 and the 
minor award for drama. 

In his book “Arthur Miller’s 

America: Theater and Culture in 
the Time for Change,” Theater 
and English Prof. Enoch Brater 
writes that a judge said the play 
possessed “an excellent modern 
theme handled with a tender 
insight into character.”

His 
subsequent 
Hopwood 

Award came a year later for 
“Honors at Dawn,” submitted 
under the pseudonym Corona. 
The play focused on working 
class issues, a theme Miller 
returned to in many of his 

other works. It draws on both 
his experiences working in an 
automobile parts warehouse 
and his time at the University. 

He made a third and final 

attempt to secure a Hopwood in 
1938 for a prison play titled “The 
Great Disobedience” but did not 
win. 

Miller had arrived at the 

University two years after his 
high school graduation from 
Brooklyns’ Abraham Lincoln 
High School, where he was 
a sub-par student – he failed 
algebra three times. Miller 
hadn’t seen any plays to speak 
of, “maybe two or three plays in 
my life.” 

Hoping 
to 
further 
his 

development as a writer, Miller 
joined The Michigan Daily’s 
news staff. The byline “Arthur 
A. Miller” first appeared May 
21, 1935, in an article titled 
“Anti-Red Bill Sent to Senate.” 

“When I worked for the Daily 

I did just general reporting, and 
I was the night editor fo a while. 
And I got to write some good 
stories abot all sorts of stuff,” 
Miller told the Daily in 2000.

In his book, Brater writes, 

“Miller’s reporting for The 
Michigan Daily falls rather 
neatly 
into 
two 
separate 

categories: one dealing with 
campus events and information 
of a nonpolitical nature, the 
other reflecting his growing 
commitment and attraction to 
progressive causes.”

Miller eventually lost interest 

in journalism – which was his 
major until switching to English 
in 1936 – and his last piece to 
appear in the Daily ran on May 
31, 1937, as a letter to the editor 
supporting a labor sit-down 
strike in Washtenaw County. 

“He said he stopped writing 

for the Daily because he didn’t 
like sticking to the facts. He 
much preferred making things. 
The rest, you know, is history,” 
Brater said. 

Miller’s 
reputation 
as 
a 

playwright began to take shape 
ir. Prof. Kenneth Rowe’s drama 
class. 

November 
9, 
2006 
- 

University President Mary Sue 
Coleman pledged yesterday that 
the University would fight the 
implementation of Proposal 2 in 
the courts.

A defiant Coleman addressed 

thousands who gathered on the 
Diag about the potential impact 
of the constitutional amendment 
that will ban affirmative action 
programs in Michigan.

The 
administration’s 

immediate concern is trying to 
delay the implementation of the 
amendment so all of this year’s 
applicants will be evaluated under 
the same admissions guidelines. 
The constitutional amendment 
will likely take effect in late 
December; depending on the date 
the Secretary of State certifies 
the election results. If this 
happens, the University would be 
forced to change its admissions 
policies halfway through the 
admissions cycle – a scenario the 
administration desperately wants 
to avoid.

“Today, I have directed our 

General Counsel to consider 
every legal option available to us,” 
Coleman told the crowd.

Because the potential impact 

of Proposal 2 has been known 

for 
months, 
many 
observers 

expected swift legal action by the 
University yesterday to maintain 
the continuity of this year’s 
admissions process.

But it was the radical pro-

affirmative 
action 
group 
By 

Any 
Means 
Necessary, 
not 

University lawyers that went to 
the U.S. District Court in Detroit 
yesterday afternoon to try to 
block the implementation.

A spokesperson for BAMN 

did 
not 
return 
phone 
calls 

for comment on the lawsuit 
yesterday. 

In an interview after her 

address, Coleman said she was 
unsure 
when 
the 
University 

would file its first legal challenges 
to Proposal 2, but she expected 
she would know within a few 
days.

“The lawyers are working hard 

on this,” Coleman said.

Officials at the University of 

California and the University 
of Texas systems successfully 
delayed 
the 
bans 
on 
their 

affirmative action programs in 
the courts until after completing 
their admissions cycles.

Coleman said she is optimistic 

the courts would side with the 
University and allow this year’s 
admissions cycle to continue 
unaffected by Proposal 2.

But such an outcome is not 

necessarily certain.

Any legal action brought by 

the University against Proposal 2 
would name the state of Michigan, 
represented by Attorney General 
Mike Cox, as the defendant.

Cox, 
a 
Republican 
who 

was elected to a second term 
Tuesday, has actively opposed the 
University’s affirmative action 
policies in the past.

In a rare act of defiance by an 

Attorney General, Cox refused 
a 2003 request by Jennifer 
Granholm to author an amicus 
brief on behalf of the state 
supporting the University in 
Gratz v. Bollinger.

This year Cox was the only 

statewide candidate from a major 
party that openly supported 
Proposal 2.

Cox could not be reached for 

comment yesterday.

Doug 
Tietz, 
a 
spokesman 

for the Michigan Civil Rights 
Initiative, 
criticized 
Coleman 

yesterday for trying to “trump 
the opinion of 58 percent of the 
electorate.”

Looking to the long term, 

Coleman 
reiterated 
the 

University’s 
commitment 
to 

diversity.

BAMN beats administration to filing lawsuit to block proposal’s implementation

The day after: ‘U’ to fight 
Proposal 2 in court

WALTER NOWINSKI

Daily Staff Reporter

Bicentennial
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Friday, September 15, 2017 — 9

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

The University’s most famous alum never forgot his roots

Acclaimed alum dies at 89

January 4, 2007 - University 

alum 
and 
former 
President 

Gerald Ford, who sought to 
restore trust in the presidency in 
the aftermath of one of the most 
scandal-ridden administrations 
in American history, died at his 
home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. 
on Tuesday. He was 93.

When asked in 1995 what his 

greatest accomplishment was 
as president, Ford said it was 
“healing America.”

And 
heal 
America 
he 

did. 
Ford’s 
decent, 
honest 

Midwestern demeanor calmed 
a nation beset by a deep unease 
after the traumas of Vietnam 
and Watergate.

The cause of Ford’s death has 

not been released, but he had 
been 
hospitalized 
repeatedly 

over the past year.

Ford was never elected to the 

presidency or vice presidency. 
In 1973, Nixon appointed then-
Congressman Ford to take the 
place of Vice President Spiro 
Agnew after bribery charges 
forced Agnew to resign.

His 
presidency 
will 
be 

remembered most for a single 
act – the decision to grant Nixon 
an unconditional pardon for 
all crimes he committed while 
president. The pardon sparked 
a national outcry and sent Ford’s 
approval ratings plummeting. It 
likely cost him the 1976 election 
to Jimmy Carter.

Now, the pardon has become 

widely viewed as a necessary 
step to prevent the nation from 
having to see a former president 
in court for years.

Ford received a John F. 

Kennedy Profile in Courage 
award for the decision in 2001. 
Massachusetts 
Sen. 
Edward 

Kennedy, who had criticized 
Ford when he granted the 
pardon, said the decision was 
“an extraordinary act of courage 
that historians recognize was 
truly in the national interest.”

Ford 
graduated 
from 
the 

University in 1935 with a double 
major in economics and political 

science. He played center on 
a football team that won two 
national championships. Ford 
was named the team’s most 
valuable player in 1934. The 
University retired his jersey, 
number 48, in 1994.

He came to Ann Arbor in the 

middle of the Great Depression 
from his boyhood home in Grand 
Rapids with just $200 in hand. 
Half of that was for tuition. His 
football coach helped him find 
jobs washing dishes and waiting 
tables.

One of the places where 

Ford washed dishes was his 
fraternity house, Delta Kappa 
Epsilon. Ford was also a member 
of Michigamua, the elite senior 
society.

Ford turned down offers to 

play for the Green Bay Packers 
and the Detroit Lions after 
graduation. Instead, he headed 
east to Yale University, where he 
was an assistant football coach 
and student at the law school.

After serving in the Navy 

during World War II, Ford 
returned 
to 
Grand 
Rapids 

and opened a law firm. He 
was elected to Congress from 
Michigan’s 5th District in 1948, 
a seat he held until assuming the 
vice presidency.

Ford remained close to the 

University throughout his life.

He spoke at commencement 

ceremonies in May 1974 and 
kicked 
off 
his 
re-election 

campaign in September 1976 in 
front of a crowd of more than 
15,000 at Crisler Arena. He 
returned to Ann Arbor to speak 
at 
forums 
and 
conferences 

throughout his retirement.

Since 1977, Ford has held the 

title of adjunct political science 
professor. Ford’s presidential 
library is located on North 
Campus, and the Gerald R. Ford 
School of Public Policy is named 
for him. The Ford Presidential 
Museum is in Grand Rapids.

Ford School Dean Rebecca 

Blank praised Ford “The Ford 
School community has been 
enriched by our connections 
with 
President 
Ford,” 
she 

said. “His visits here helped 

our students learn about the 
complexities of policymaking 
and understand the role of 
politics in our society. President 
Ford’s commitment to public 
service was a hallmark of his 
entire career.”

University President Mary 

Sue Coleman said Ford was 
a strong contributor to the 

University community.

“I am deeply saddened by 

his death but grateful for his 
many years of inspiration to his 
University,” Coleman said in a 
written statement. “I have had 
the great privilege of knowing 
both President Ford and Mrs. 
Ford. 
An 
ardent 
Michigan 

football fan, President Ford 
was equally passionate about 
interacting with students on 
issues of public policy and world 
affairs.”

Coleman also noted Ford’s 

support for the University’s 
use of affirmative action in its 
admissions decisions.

Ford published an op-ed piece 

in the New York Times in 1999 
condemning two lawsuits filed 
against 
the 
University 
that 

challenged its use of affirmative 
action. “At its core, affirmative 
action should try to offset 
past injustices by fashioning a 
campus population more truly 
reflective of modern America 
and our hopes for the future,” 
Ford wrote.

Ford’s stance on affirmative 

action was indicative of his 
moderate Republican leanings. 
Both he and his wife, Betty 
Ford, 
were 
supporters 
of 

abortion rights. In 1976, Ford 
faced a primary challenge from 
the more conservative Ronald 
Reagan, whom he defeated.

Ford did not attend a single 

social event at the White House 
during Reagan’s eight years in 
office.

Ford 
survived 
two 

assassination 
attempts 
in 

September 1975.

It was Ford who presided over 

the removal of the last American 
troops from Vietnam in April 
1975. After the fall of Saigon, 
Ford called on Americans to put 
the nation’s first real military 
defeat behind them.

“I 
ask 
that 
we 
stop 

refighting the battles and the 
recriminations of the past,” 
he said in a speech at Tulane 
University. 
“I 
ask 
that 
we 

look now at what is right with 
America, at our possibilities and 
our potentialities for change and 
growth and achievement and 
sharing. I ask that we accept the 
responsibilities of leadership as 
a good neighbor to all peoples 
and the enemy of none.”

Ford 
echoed 
Abraham 

Lincoln’s 
second 
inaugural 

address, saying “the time has 
come to look forward to an 
agenda for the future, to unify, 
to bind up the Nation’s wounds, 
and to restore its health and its 
optimistic self-confidence.”

The Associated Press reported 

Wednesday 
that 
plans 
are 

underway for Ford’s body to lie 
in state in the Capitol Rotunda 
on Saturday. A state funeral will 
likely be held on Tuesday in the 
National Cathedral. After that, 
his body will travel to Grand 
Rapids, where he will be to be 
buried.

Ford is survived by his wife 

Betty, his daughter Susan and 
his sons Michael, John and 
Steven.

Plans for a memorial at the 

University have not yet been 
announced.

Our president
A Life on the Grand Stage

ANDREW GROSSMAN

Daily Staff Reporter

JENNIFER M. MISTHAL

Daily Staff Reporter

I ask that we stop 

refighting the 
battles and the 

recriminations of 
the past. I ask that 

we look now at 

what is right with 

America

RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily

“I was an undergrad here in the 
early ’90s, and reflecting back to 
my experience at that time, I feel 
like the Bicentennial is the time 
to celebrate that the University 
of Michigan is a place where 
people can come and reach their 
potential...I’m now in the fortunate 
position of helping other students 
do that. So when I think about the 
Univeristy of Michigan and what 
I would celebrate about it, is that 
it’s a place for people to come and 
if they want to they can embrace 
all of the opportunities to learn 
about the most pressing social and 
political issues of our time, how to 
think about them, and to grow both 
personally and collectively.”
Evelyn Al-Sultany, American 
Culture professor

FE ATURE D PEOPLE

“So the Bicentennial at it’s core 
is about the celebration of the 
University and it’s history. I 
feel that while it is important 
to celebrate the wonderful 
work the University has done, 
it is also important to embrace 
the ways we have improved 
from faulty and problematic 
parts and components of our 
past. We still have much to 
improve on, and I hope that 
the Bicentennial provides an 
avenue for student leaders and 
activists to engage with the 
community and pave a positive 
future for our Michigan.”
LSA senior Yong-Joon Kim, 
SAPAC co-coordinator

FILE PHOTO/Daily

1972 — Ann Arbor City Council passes 

ordinance setting fine for possession of 

marijuana at $5

1983 — President Ronald Reagan 

presented the National Medal of Science to 

Chemical engineering professor Donald Katz

1984 — Engineering alum Thomas 

Knoll and brother John created Adobe 

Photoshop

1983 — New computing station opens in 

the Union

1986 — New U-M 

hospital opens 

1981 — Computers continue 

to become more prevalent with 

growing computer centers

1974 — President Gerald Ford takes 

office — the only alum to ever do so

