Some had the opportunity to meet the next Commander in Chief. Many of those students assisted news organizations, supported the Commission and guided visitors on campus. You could feel this was helping propel us forward.”Īn estimated 600 Wake Forest students participated in some manner in the debate. “Wake Forest had a fantastic reputation, but we were just turning the corner to be considered a national university. “To see camera crews and news organizations at your school and Tom Brokaw walking around campus was surreal,” McAlhany said. Watch the entire 1988 Presidential Debate It was great to see the world come to Wake Forest.” “I had friends working for NBC and ABC and they got to hang out with Sam Donaldson, Tom Brokaw, David Brinkley and Chris Wallace. “The debate gave students a front-row view of the media, how they work and how they produce news,” Dubois said. The debate heightened students’ interest in the political process, gave them an inside look and made their Wake Forest experience unique. It was a major dive into an extraordinary, national event,” said McAlhany, who is now Wake Forest’s director of development for the Northeast region. “The intensity over the summer leading up to the debate was incredible. “It signifies the strong relationship that the administration has with the students.” “Today’s announcement says much about Wake Forest,” Smith told reporters. Smith, who is now president of Kane Realty Corporation in Raleigh, and Boyette teamed up to make a presentation to the executive director of the Commission while University Relations Vice President Bill Joyner worked with local supporters to financially back the idea.ĭuring a press conference in February 1988, Wake Forest announced it was selected by the Commission to host the Sept. “I began contacting alumni in Washington, D.C., and North Carolina to get their help in endorsing Wake Forest to the Commission.” “They wanted to have a Presidential debate at Wake Forest and had done extensive research on the then-brand new Commission on Presidential Debates,” said Sandra Boyette, who during her 35-year career at Wake Forest took on roles such as Vice President for Public Affairs, Vice President for University Advancement and Senior Advisor to the President.Īt Wake Forest President Thomas Hearn’s request, she met with the students just three days after starting her post as the Director of Public Relations. Wait Chapel has been home to two Presidential debates – in 19. Truman participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the Reynolda Campus. Wake Forest has a long tradition of Presidential visits, which date back to 1951 when former President Harry S.
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