Harold Andersen, retired publisher of the Omaha World-Herald, and his wife Marian, spoke at the Journalism Alumni Luncheon on April 9 at which it was announced that the college’s new building will be named after the Andersens.
Harold Andersen
I’m tempted just to say “thank you” and sit down and let James Moeser’s and Terry Fairfield’s words ring in your ears a while longer, because those are as generous words as have ever been directed our way, and we are deeply appreciative to you both.
A lot of thank-yous need to be said. Certainly one is to the University of Nebraska Foundation staff. It would not have been possible for the Campaign Nebraska fund to have raised over $5 million without an excellent staff headed by Terry Fairfield — and, of course, an excellent product that they were selling: the University of Nebraska.
And I thank the World-Herald, too. The World-Herald provided the base, the resources, the talented staff that let me spend time outside World-Herald Square, working on good causes and still feeling I was discharging my responsibilities to World-Herald Square.
And, on this occasion, particularly, thanks to the University of Nebraska. The education that both Marian and I received here has played a fundamental role in anything we have been able to accomplish since graduation.
And thanks, too, to this partner — even though she keeps putting me down about that batting order in which we served the Foundation. It’s a true partnership in many respects, including our working together. We have been co-chairmen of a good many worthy causes and fund-raising for those causes. We are delighted that our partnership is being recognized by the name that will go on that fine new building.
I can tell you the quality of the faculty, which was recognized here, has certainly improved since my days. Not that Harold Hammill, who I think was maybe the only faculty member then, was not an outstanding journalist and teacher, but in the fall of 1945, I was an instructor in a beginning journalism class, fresh out of the University of Nebraska — graduated in May — and I was teaching a class in the fall of the year.
The faculty has been considerably upgraded since then, and so, certainly, have the facilities. I taught that class in old University Hall, which started out as a two-story building with a tower. Because it was in danger of falling down, they knocked the tower and the top floor off, and what was left was the home of the School of Journalism.
Over the years the progress this school — now this college — has made has been remarkable. I’ve been proud of it. I’ve been cheering from the sidelines, and we’ve been helping as Marian and I could.
Now for the first time you’ll have your own building. I think that’s a recognition of the fact that you’ve become a college. Now you’ll have your own presence on campus — down Centennial Mall. It might be the best location of any college.
Most important is not the building but what goes on inside the building, and again, that’s why it was so appropriate to recognize the faculty here and the students. What will be taught and learned in that building is the important thing — not the building itself or whatever name might be on it.
It’s an indication of the growth of the school in a variety of ways. Something under 900 students where there were fewer than 100 in my day; 250 in the news-editorial, ink-stained journalism side of our profession. KU, a fine school of journalism, has 75 in the news-editorial sequence. Missouri, a widely respected school of journalism, has 125 in the news-editorial sequence. Here we have 250.
I think that’s an indication of the importance of this school, a recognition of its contribution to journalism not just in Nebraska but all over the country where we have graduates who are doing a superb job. We’re as good as any of them, including some of those who over the years perhaps have had a greater reputation.
I’d like to acknowledge the presence of family here — a lot of good UNL heritage: Marian’s brother, Chuck Battey, Kansas City, a UNL graduate; my son David and his wife, Leslie Anderson, also UNL graduates. Joan Battey, Chuck’s wife, our sister-in-law, is here. We got to here too late. She’d already gotten a degree from a school way back east. And then there’s Lindsey Andersen, our granddaughter. We are “rushing” Lindsey UNL. She’s been here before, and she’ll be here again. We’re going to try to make her a Cornhusker, too.
In conclusion, nothing that has been accorded us — and we’ve been fortunate to have some recognition in various ways over the years — nothing even comes close to what you are doing for the two of us here, and we thank you very, very much.
Marian Andersen
I often reflect how much farther Andy would have gone if he’d gone to journalism school. He really might have made a success of himself.
As Andy mentioned, we’re very honored to have this building named for us. James Moeser, I thought it was so nice that you mentioned my brother and my father, because our roots are very strong in Lincoln. I grew up in Lincoln. I’m looking over at Don Bryant; he and I graduated from Lincoln High together. I see Bob Allen back there; we were contemporaries at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Andy and I are so proud of our Nebraska heritage. Having lived in Omaha the last few years, we still love to come back to Lincoln, and this is a very, very special occasion, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.