INAUGURAL EVENT

Very big impression

One guest towers above others at Hendrix presidential inauguration

The fact that the Hendrix College community in Conway has embraced President Bill Tsutsui's affection for a large, fire-breathing monster was hard to miss in the festivities surrounding the inauguration of the college's 11th president. A giant inflatable Godzilla greeted guests as they arrived on campus April 17 for the Pre-Inaugural Evening in the Student Life Technology Center. More subtle decorations for the dinner and reception included cut-out paper Godzillas in orange and black, the school colors.

After dinner, Tsutsui was serenaded by the Hendrix College Choir with a slightly different version of "It's a Grand Night for Singing" from Rodgers & Hammerstein's State Fair. Conductor Andrew Morgan, with the help of some choir members, changed several of the lyrics to fit the occasion:

It's a grand night for singing,

The moon is shining high,

And we're here to celebrate President Bill,

For he is a wonderful guy!

It's a grand night for singing,

There's so much about him to know,

He loves his Godzilla and loves Broadway tunes,

And Hendrix is falling in love,

Falling, falling in love.

In remarks after the performance, Tsutsui said the inauguration had been a year in the making and it was his time to give thanks and recognition. He commended the work of everyone from the inaugural committee to the people who stuffed invitation envelopes, the sports teams who helped with setup, the staff and servers of that evening's reception and dinner, and Stacy Sells, who secured the use of Gwatzilla, the giant inflatable from Gwatney Chevrolet.

The evening's guests included current and former trustees, former Hendrix presidents Timothy Cloyd and Ann Die Hasselmo, Bishop Gary Mueller and the Alumni Association Board of Governors.

The newly inaugurated president, a Texas native, was formerly dean and professor of history at the Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. In addition to books about banking and manufacturing history in Japan, he also wrote Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters.

-- Story and photos by Cary Jenkins

High Profile on 04/26/2015

Upcoming Events