On October 5th 1853, Horace Mann delivered his inaugural address to three thousand spectators converging on an Antioch campus then still in the making. Horace’s wife, Mary Mann, described the throng as “a motley multitude that would have made a splendid show if their costumes were as brilliant as they were various.†In appreciation, Horace delivered a two hour address, which the prominent Unitarian clergyman T. Starr King described as containing enough inspiration to make a college flourish in the Sahara.
154 years later, we’ve still got the costumes, the motley multitude, and the college that’s flourishing in Saharan conditions. And on October 5th 2007, we partied like it was 1853 all over again.
Founders Day 2007 kicked off with a speech in the Inn by Jim Malarkey, Professor of Humanities at Antioch University, entitled “The Dazzling Vision and Relentless Passion of the Founders.†Shortly after, the silk screening group got to work on its mission to cloth the entire campus in Antiochian uniform. Old clothes turned art through the DIY application of slogans and symbols. So much for wearing your heart on your sleeve; on Founders Day, community members wore their values on their bandanas, pants, skirts, and underwear.
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