Tucked away in Perkins Library is an elegant room full of rare and special materials collected since the 1890s. Robert Byrd, director of the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library and interim University librarian, spoke with towerview’s Robert Samuel to discuss his career choice, favorite collections and unusual incidents in the Rare Book Room.
TOWERVIEW: How did President Broadhead’s inauguration compare to President Keohane’s 11 years ago?
KEOHANE: It was inside. I mean, they were both spectacular they were two of the best inaugurations I ever saw. This one I thought was perfect. Everything was perfect. I find no fault with it at all, except for the weather, but even then the Chapel being in the Chapel gave it a kind of closure, although a lot of people couldn’t come. The ceremony 11 years ago was on the Chapel Quad and it was a beautiful day. Terry Sanford was there presiding and Terry was remarkable and had a certain aura about him; he was Mr. North Carolina. President Keohane’s speech and President Broadhead’s speech were both excellent. They were both wonderful.
TV: Was there a main point that President Broadhead centered on that you agreed or disagreed with or that you thought would be good for Duke University?
KEOHANE: Well, I thought folks here on financial aide. You have to keep the doors open for everybody and I was delighted to hear that. He’s also very right when he sees Duke as a place where people work across boundaries and work theory to practice. I like that. I was at Harvard, for example; Harvard is very good at working across boundaries but there are walls between the places. Walls, and moats, and castles.
TV: So what is next for you?
KEOHANE: We’re going to make a final decision this fall. We relaxed all summer in Maine. We’re now on leave in California doing our own research which is very very great. I’m working on anti-americanism.
TV: What did you think of the inauguration?
GILLIS: I thought it was extraordinary. When Nan took over I was quoted as saying the University is in extremely good hands. I say again, now, the University is in extremely good hands. You had an extraordinary President in Nan Keohane and now you’ve got another one in Richard Broadhead. Duke is extremely fortunate to have found both of these people.
TV: You just stepped down as President of Rice University?
GILLIS: I just stepped down last month as President of Rice University. I’m on leave here now.
KEOHANE: His tenure was the same as Nan’s, right? You started the same year as Nan?
GILLIS: Yes, that’s right.
Keohane: So also 11 years. And Malcolm was Dean of the Faculty here before that. And a long time here as well. How long were you here Malcolm?
Gillis: Well I was here 11 years and before that Harvard 15 years.
Question: How did the inauguration at Duke today compare to your inauguration at Rice University?
Gillis: Well we were just talking about that today and we can’t remember much about it, 11 years ago. I will tell you this, that Richard’s speech was extraordinary. He took the vows of marriage, you know, “Will I be a representative of everyone here, of all the faculty, of all the staff. I will. Will I take this University to as high a level as it can possibly reach. I will.”
Keohane: I thought it was a wonderful device, didn’t you think so?
Gillis: I did, a wonderful device.
Keohane: But the whole speech used a wonderful rhetorical device. President Keohane’s speech was a device which is, think of concentric circles. Will the University from the people who support it all the way through teaching to the mere scholar in the study room or her laboratory. And then you work back, she worked it back to the people and the community in Durham. So the notion, the image, of concentric circles. It’s hard to remember a speech after 11 years, but for it’s powerful image. Broadhead’s speech will be remembered also because of that image, once you get the image, you can resuscitate the speech.
Gillis: I will, and I do.
Keohane: Those marriage vows. Many commencement speeches disappear after two days, you don’t remember what people said, just a lot of platitudes. You’ve got to build a speech around this metaphor, this image, and then you can reconstruct what people said. I thought it was a very fine speech.
Question: Did either of you go to the Globalization panel?
Gillis: I got here a little late but I got to hear John Hope Franklin and John Hope is one of my dear friends, he goes fishing with me in Alaska. He was wonderful. Mike Krzyzewski was wonderful. And of course Reynolds Price resided. And his poem was wonderful.
Keohane: Get a copy of it. It was extraordinary. What it did was it took an image of Richard, and it went back to Shakespeare, Richard the third, who was a terrible guy in Shakespeare’s time. And then Richard the second who was a terrible whimp. And then Richard the first, Lion heart, whom he portrayed Broadhead as Richard the Lion Heart. It was a whole beautiful structure and a welcoming poem.
Question: Will you be going to the Cameron stadium tonight for the party?
Gillis: Yes, if I can get there after seeing all these lovely people that I’ve been meaning to see for 11 years. So if I don’t get held up talking to all of these friends, yes.
Keohane: I’m going to dance. I’ll see you there.
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