Wall of Fame

When the University Writing Center moved to its current location in the Forest Drive Building in 2001, there was a lot of wall space to fill.

The Center’s director asked faculty members, deans, and department heads at Georgia Southern to provide quotes about the importance of writing in their disciplines. In hopes that posting these statements in the Writing Center (along with pictures of the faculty members), students could see that writing was important in every discipline – be it business, engineering, the Fine Arts, or liberal studies.

The response to this initiative was so positive, the Center expanded its efforts and asked national figures – politicians, celebrities, authors, editors, musicians, athletes, and corporate CEOs – to contribute similar statements. Once again, the response was overwhelmingly positive, and the Center received more than 50 personal letters attesting to the value of good communication skills.

People who have generously shared their thoughts, reflections, and observations include:

Celebrities: Ted Danson (Cheers, Becker), Peri Gilpin (Frasier), Bill Maher (Politically Incorrect), Deborah Norville (Inside Edition), Timothy Russert (Meet the Press), Arnold Palmer (golf legend), James Earl Jones (movie star)

National politicians and legislators: President George Bush Sr., President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Senator Bob Dole, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg, William Rehnquist, and Stephen Breyer.

Authors: Maya Angelou, Barbara Kingsolver, Jackie Collins, Clive Barker, Scott Adams, Larry McMurtry, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Doris Lessing, Ursula K. LeGuin, Jonathan Franzen, Joy Harjo, Joanne Harris, Mary Higgins Clark, Ed McBain, John McPhee.

Editors: Slaton White (Field & Stream), Norman Pearlstine (Time), Paul Maidment (Forbes), James Kelly (Time), Lesley Jane Seymour (Marie Claire), Sabrina Weill (Seventeen).

Corporate CEOs: Michael Eisner (Walt Disney Co.), Henry A. McKinnell (Pfizer, Inc.), Glenn F. Tilton (ChevronTexaco), Robert Ulrich (Target Corp.), Joseph A. Pichler (The Kroger Inc.), Douglas N. Daft (Coca-Cola Co.), C. Michael Armstrong (AT&T), Kenneth D. Lewis (Bank of America).

Last updated: 6/25/2013