Good afternoon.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
I'm Robert Shelton, and on behalf of all of us
here at the University of Arizona--
our faculty, our students, our staff, all of us--
welcome, and thank you for joining us here
to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the UA Poetry
Center.
I want to express, first of all, my gratitude to all
of you for the support that you have given throughout the year,
and of course today, in coming to this benefit for the Poetry
Center.
I also want to thank the distinguished individuals
on stage, and I'll say a little bit more
about Billy Collins in a minute.
David Fitzsimmons we all know well.
Howard Altmann, Jennifer Carrell, Ernesto Portillo Jr.
Let's thank them again for coming.
[APPLAUSE]
I think it is deeply meaningful that for this 50th anniversary
community celebration, we return to the same stage from which
Robert Frost read after he dedicated the Ruth Stephan
Poetry Center in 1960.
A thought or two, and I promise I'll be brief, because you
didn't come to hear me.
You came to hear the talent on my right.
The University of Arizona is extraordinarily
fortunate in many ways, and one is the fact
that we are located in Tucson.
We're celebrating our 125th anniversary
of the founding of this university,
and many, if not all of you know the humble beginnings.
But as I came here a little over four years ago,
realizing what a privilege it was,
I confess I had no idea how this marvelous community of Tucson
embraces the university overall, and the Poetry
Center in particular.
It's very important for the University of Arizona
to connect with the community.
In spite of what some people might say, no,
it's not all through athletics.
In fact, I would say the deep and lasting connections
that come between the university and the communities of Tucson
come about through programs and structures
like the University of Arizona Poetry Center.
So I personally am deeply indebted to all
of those who have made this center
a reality over the years.
And of course, have made its new home a reality most recently.
Let me say a little bit about Billy Collins,
and then I'll step off the stage for the real program.
Billy Collins is nothing short of an American phenomenon.
No poet since Robert Frost has managed
to combine high critical acclaim with such broad, popular
appeal.
Billy Collins was appointed the United States Poet Laureate,
he served in that capacity in 2001 to 2003.
In January 2004, he was named New York State Poet Laureate.
He served from 2004 to 2006.
He is a distinguished professor of English
at Lehman College in the City University of New York,
as well as Senior Distinguished Fellow of the Winter Park
Institute of Rollins College.
He has published eight collections of poetry,
and his newest book, a collection
of poems entitled Horoscopes for the Dead
will be published in the spring 2011.
Please join me in welcoming Billy Collins.