Fulbright to be celebrated worldwide
Evin Fritschle, Staff Writer
Issue date: 2/2/05 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
February 2005 marks the centennial celebration of the legacy of the late Sen. J. William Fulbright.
Two events are planned for the celebration according to the official Web site for the centennial, an art exhibit Dublin, Ireland, and another event in Bulgaria.
"I know that there will be some activities on campus but I don't know that they have been firmed up yet," said Hoyt Purvis, a professor in the journalism department who worked with Fulbright for a number of years.
"I knew Senator Fulbright quite well," Purvis said, "having served as his press secretary for eight years in the Senate and involved with a number of Fulbright-related activities here and elsewhere."
Harriet Mayor Fulbright, the late senator's wife, continues to educate and carry on the Fulbright legacy. The Rotary club in Chicago will honor her this month.
Fulbright's influence is visible all over campus. A sculpture of Sen. Fulbright, dedicated by former Fulbright scholars in 2002 stands at the entrance to Old Main. The statue faces the Fulbright Peace Fountain, designed by architect E. Fay Jones. The college of arts and sciences is also named in Fulbright's honor.
"Fulbright believed very strongly in education," Purvis said. "That remained true throughout his life. When he visited the campus here in the later years of his life, he liked nothing better than to meet and talk with students."
The effect of much of Fulbright's work took place in Arkansas. Fulbright was born in Missouri in 1905. He attended the UA, where he earned a degree in political science in 1925. As a Rhodes Scholar, he studied at Oxford University and later studied law at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
He returned to UA in the late 1930s, where he was a law professor.
"His experience [at Oxford] and traveling in Europe convinced him that learning about other cultures was an important part of education," Purvis said.
The Rhodes experience was an important influence in his eventual determination to establish the educational exchange program."
Fulbright was the president of the UA from 1939 to 1941, and at the time, was the youngest president of a university in the country.
In 1942 he was elected to the US House of Representatives. Two years later he began his career in the U.S. Senate. Fulbright maintained his senate position for 30 years. During that time, he created the Fulbright Exchange Program, and was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The Fulbright Association, the association for alumni of Fulbright grants, claims 48 chapters throughout the United States. The Fulbright Association annually awards the J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding. In 2004, the award was given to former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Fulbright received many rewards during his lifetime, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993.
Fulbright died in 1995 at the age of 89.
Two events are planned for the celebration according to the official Web site for the centennial, an art exhibit Dublin, Ireland, and another event in Bulgaria.
"I know that there will be some activities on campus but I don't know that they have been firmed up yet," said Hoyt Purvis, a professor in the journalism department who worked with Fulbright for a number of years.
"I knew Senator Fulbright quite well," Purvis said, "having served as his press secretary for eight years in the Senate and involved with a number of Fulbright-related activities here and elsewhere."
Harriet Mayor Fulbright, the late senator's wife, continues to educate and carry on the Fulbright legacy. The Rotary club in Chicago will honor her this month.
Fulbright's influence is visible all over campus. A sculpture of Sen. Fulbright, dedicated by former Fulbright scholars in 2002 stands at the entrance to Old Main. The statue faces the Fulbright Peace Fountain, designed by architect E. Fay Jones. The college of arts and sciences is also named in Fulbright's honor.
"Fulbright believed very strongly in education," Purvis said. "That remained true throughout his life. When he visited the campus here in the later years of his life, he liked nothing better than to meet and talk with students."
The effect of much of Fulbright's work took place in Arkansas. Fulbright was born in Missouri in 1905. He attended the UA, where he earned a degree in political science in 1925. As a Rhodes Scholar, he studied at Oxford University and later studied law at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
He returned to UA in the late 1930s, where he was a law professor.
"His experience [at Oxford] and traveling in Europe convinced him that learning about other cultures was an important part of education," Purvis said.
The Rhodes experience was an important influence in his eventual determination to establish the educational exchange program."
Fulbright was the president of the UA from 1939 to 1941, and at the time, was the youngest president of a university in the country.
In 1942 he was elected to the US House of Representatives. Two years later he began his career in the U.S. Senate. Fulbright maintained his senate position for 30 years. During that time, he created the Fulbright Exchange Program, and was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The Fulbright Association, the association for alumni of Fulbright grants, claims 48 chapters throughout the United States. The Fulbright Association annually awards the J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding. In 2004, the award was given to former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Fulbright received many rewards during his lifetime, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993.
Fulbright died in 1995 at the age of 89.
