Tells Notre Dame grads future is bright
Reagan recalls ‘Gipper’ at commencement
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -
Pres. Ronald Reagan, whose
portrayal of a Notre Dame foot
ball player made him a movie
star 40 years ago, paid a nostal
gic return visit to the campus
Sunday and told graduating
seniors his own story about the
"Knute Rockne — All Amer
ican.”
Reagan, who played the
tragic supporting role of the
"Gipper” in the movie, came to
Notre Dame under extraordin
arily tight security for his first
trip outside the Washington
area since he was wounded in
an assassination attempt on
March 30.
In the text of a com
mencement address, Reagan
returned to the rhetoric of his
successful political campaign to
assure the seniors they face a
bright future with less
government and more freedom.
“If I don't watch myself, this
could turn out to be less a
commencement than a warm
bath in nostalgic memories,” he
said.
Those memories then burst
forth, first about his selection to
play the part of George Gipp,
the legendary Notre Dame half
back, and then about this his
tory of this nation and how
government grew to the point of
"fixing things that aren’t broken
and inventing miracle cures for
which there are no known dis
eases."
He told the students that “vir
tually every aspect of campus
life is now regulated — hiring,
firing, promotions, physical
plant, construction, record
keeping, fund-raising, and to
some extent, curriculum and
educational program. If
ever the great independent
colleges and universities like
Notre Dame give way to and are
replaced by tax-supported insti
tutions, the struggle to preserve
academic freedom will have
been lost.”
But his message was one of
optimism, especially for the out
come of the West’s struggle
against the spread of commu
nism.
Reagan shared the stage
Sunday with actor Pat O’Brien,
who played Knute Rockne in the
movie and whom the president
credited with helping him get
the part of the Gipper.
" ‘Win one for the Gipper’ has
become a line usually spoken
now in a humorous vein,”
Reagan said. "I hear it from
members of the Congress who
are supportive of the economic
program I’ve submitted. But
let’s look at the real significance
of his story.
"Rockne could have used it
anytime just to win a game. But
eight years would go by follow
ing the death of George Gipp
before Rock ever revealed
Gipp’s deathbed wish. Then he
told the story at halftime to one
of the only teams he’d ever
coached that was torn by
dissension, jealousy and fac
tionalism. None of them had
ever known George Gipp. They
were children when he played
for Notre Dame. Vet it was to this
team that Rockne told the story
and so inspired them that they
rose above their personal an
imosities.”
Reagan must compromise, Dole says
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Robert Dole,
R-Kan., predicted Sunday that Pres. Ronald
Reagan will be forced to compromise on his
proposed changes in Social Security and said the
administration unveiled its plan too soon.
"I think you’ll see a lot of compromises in the
president’s proposals,” said Dole, chairman of
the Senate Finance Committee.
“The short term, yes, we’ll make some
changes which will not affect benefits. Long term,
I think we'll make changes that may affect
benefits — maybe we'll change the COLA (cost of
living adjustment), maybe we’ll do other things,”
he said on the CBS program "Face the Nation.”
Dole said he did not believe the Social
Security proposals would damage efforts to pass
Reagan’s program of cuts in taxes and spending.
He said he talked Saturday night with Health
and Human Services Secretary Richard Sch
weiker and that the secretary is “looking for a
compromise" on the cuts in Social Security
benefits.
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