The road from Ann Arbor

By Jeffrey Kosseff
Daily Staff Reporter

Politically active University alumni are numerous. Their activities outside of class ranged from captaining the football team to taking an activist in the Black Action Move-ment to a mother raising children while attending classes.

Gerald Ford
LSA Class of 1935
From campus residence halls to the private residence in the White House, the path from Ann Arbor has led a host of University alumni to high-powered political careers. Distinguished alumni linked by the Michigan connection have helped to shape state, national and world politics in the past 30 years.

These same people became the 38th U.S. president and two of Michigan's three U.S. congresswomen.

Notable alumni include former President Gerald Ford, House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.), Rep. Lynn Rivers (D-Ann Arbor), Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Holland), Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D- Detroit), U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-Tenn.), Rep. Dale Kildee (D- Flint), former Kansas Sen. Nancy Kassebaum, former U.S. Sen. Don Riegle, Los Angeles Democratic mayoral candidate and California state Sen. Tom Hayden and Doug Ross, a front runner for the Democratic nomination for Michigan governor and Clinton's former assistant secretary of labor.

There are many more former alumni on the federal, city state level.

The Michigan Connection

University alumni use the Michigan connection to network for contacts, meet colleagues and maintain ties to the old days in Ann Arbor.

"There is no question that I always was proud to list on my biographical material that I was a graduate of the U of M," said President Ford, who graduated in 1935. "It was a plus in any conversation as to what your academic background was. Being a graduate of the U of M was a big plus in the political arena."

President Ford is not the only politician who proudly reflects on his time in Ann Arbor.

Kildee said the University is even wellknown in Pakistan, where he worked for one year.

Lynn Rivers
LSA Class of 1987

"I would say I'm from (the University of) Michigan, and they would say, 'Oh, Ann Arbor,'" Kildee said. "It gives you a great additional credibility. I always put on my campaign literature that I have a Masters from Michigan. I met a lot of interesting people at the University, and some later became involved in politics."

Love for the University is a nonpartisan issue in the U.S. House.

"After two years there, I really love the school," Hoekstra said. "I'm a proud alumnus."

Some alumni said the "Michigan Connection," the network of hundreds of thousands of University alumni, has affected their hiring process.

"The U of M is a very prestigious institution," Kildee said. "People from the U of M have always held important jobs on my campaigns."

Rep. Ford said he met many University alumni during his first term in Congress.

"There's no doubt the Michigan connection runs very deep and long," Rep. Ford said. "I've got a lot of colleagues who are Michigan graduates, and almost the entire Michigan delegation has a relation to a Michigan graduate."

Nancy Kassebaum
Rackham Class of 1956

Kilpatrick said that judging from her experience in the federal and state legislatures, alumni connections are far-reaching.

"You'll find us all over," Kilpatrick said. "Michigan graduates hold top jobs in most careers, including politics." The Michigan Experience

University alumni say their memories vary from wonderful to not-very-wonderful.

"That time in my life was not a very fun time," Rivers said. "My fondest memory is that it's over."

Rivers does not look back distastefully at her time at the University because she had a few bad professors or overcrowded classes - she was married with children while she worked toward her degree. Because of this responsibility, she was not able to be active in student political groups and other campus organizations.

Rivers said academics at the University were beneficial to her later on in life.

"I took a civil liberties class that was very interesting," Rivers said. "I enjoyed all of my time in class."

Like Rivers, President Ford said his classes helped attract him to the world of politics.

"I was always interested in history and political science," President Ford said. "That exposure was a stimulant to my getting into politics when I got through law school."

Tom Hayden
LSA Class of 1961

But it was the Great Depression that prevented President Ford from enjoying the full University experience.

"When I was at the U of M, I was too busy earning my way through school to have any active interest in partisan politics on the outside," Ford said.

"I worked over at the University hospital, I washed dishes at my fraternity and tried to compete in athletics, and I didn't have time for partisan politics. I did, as I recall, run as a candidate for the student government. As I recall, I won and served, but I wasn't what you would call a real activist. I just didn't have time."

He also found time to serve as captain of the Michigan football team.

Kildee, who was elected to the state legislature three years after graduating with a Master's degree from the University, had the typical education for a teacher. He taught from September to June and worked on his Master's degree in education in the summer. However, he was active in politics during that time.

"My studies and my work commingled with my political activity. They fed off one another," Kildee said. "I was always interested in politics, and I was active in the Democratic Party while I was doing my graduate work."

Kilpatrick also received a Master's degree in education from the University.

"Being a teacher, I always wanted to do more," Kilpatrick said. "The experience at the University got me active."

Rep. Ford, who received a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania before coming to the University for law school, said "there was something about Ann Arbor that just attracted me here."

Harold Ford, Jr.
Law School Class of 1994

His experience at the University was missing one thing, he said.

"I wish we had won a national championship while I was here," Rep. Ford said.

Like many of his political colleagues, Rep. Ford said his University education was not typical.

While he was a first-year Law student, Rep. Ford spent most of his time "trying to get ahold of the law school experience." But during his next year at the University, his schedule became a lot more hectic when he managed his father's 1994 campaign for the Tennessee congressional seat that he currently holds.

"My interests in politics reach far back to elementary school," Rep. Ford said. "Politics runs in the blood."

Hoekstra, who received a master's in business education from the University, said the University's broad curriculum gives students an advantage in life.

"Having a solid undergraduate and graduate degree gives you an orientation to life," Hoekstra said. "It gives you a broader view of the world."

Hayden, who is currently running for mayor of Los Angeles, was extremely active during his time at the University. In 1960, he served as Editor-in-Chief of The Michigan Daily and was involved with many student movements.

Hayden gained national attention by his founding of the Students for a Democratic Society and his participation in protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Hayden's actions with other young activists at the convention led to his charges in the highly publicized trial of the Chicago Seven.

Politics in Ann Arbor

The political climate at the University varied with eras and issues, and affected the students in Ann Arbor in different ways.

"I had grown up with Ann Arbor being referred to as the Berkeley of the Midwest, and I couldn't wait to get there," Rivers said. "But people were more interested in career advancement."

While many speculate that the campuses nationwide are less politically active now than they were in previous generations, Rivers disagrees.

"People are more active now," said Rivers, who attended the University in the late '70s.

President Ford said financial constraints during the Great Depression prevented very much activism on campus because most people were working their way through college and did not have time for extra social or political activities.

"We didn't have time to spend our times in protest and rallies and things of that sort," President Ford said.

Unlike President Ford, Kilpatrick attended the University in a more "turbulent" time - the early '70s. She participated in the Black Action Movement protests, and said she is satisfied with the level of activism at the University today.

"It was quite active when I attended," Kilpatrick said. "It still is. I've always admired that about the University. The students are active and they participate."

Kildee said that during his time at the University, John Kennedy's presidency sparked a great amount of political involvement.

"There was a great deal of hope that government could work," Kildee said.

But Kildee said political involvement at the University had not yet reached its peak.

"There was always some interest in civil rights, but much more came after I graduated during the Vietnam war," Kildee said.

Hoekstra said that when he attended the University, there was not a lot of political activity.

"I wouldn't classify it as very politically active," Hoekstra said. "But in general, colleges are less politically active now."

Words of Wisdom

Politically active University alumni said getting involved in politics on and off campus is not difficult while attending the University.

"There's a lot to be active with," said Rep. Ford, who is 26-years-old and recently graduated from the University's School of Law. "There are just so many issues that effect our generation. Just be active."

Rivers, who was a member of the Ann Arbor Board of Education and the Michigan State House before being elected to the U.S. House in 1994, said it is not only easy to get involved at a local level, but involvement in local politics can lead to bigger things.

"Get involved in a basic level where you can get to be known," Rivers said. "Usually, it's people who have been involved locally that get elected to higher offices."

President Ford said the University curriculum is a great way to prepare for politics.

"I would recommend that they get an academic background in political science, economics and public speaking," President Ford said. "I think the University is a great forum for them to enhance their knowledge and talent. It'll be invaluable if and when they get into politics."

Kildee said University students should take advantage of opportunities to work on political campaigns in addition to their school work.

"Perfect your communication skills and get involved in campus politics and other people's campaigns," Kildee said.

Keeping in Touch

Many University alumni visit their alma mater to relive the good old days and offer words of wisdom to current students. President Ford spoke recently at a conference about "The Trouble with Washington" at the Gerald R. Ford library on campus and Kassebaum visited a political science class last semester. Rivers, who represents the Ann Arbor area on Capital Hill, regularly speaks to campus groups and holds town meetings on campus.

03-28-97