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UCSD Headlines MLK Parade
Chancellor and Vice Chancellor Joe Watson Serve as Co-Grand Marshals
Ioana Patringenaru | January 16, 2006
Perched atop a dark blue Mustang convertible, Chancellor Marye Anne Fox and Vice Chancellor Joe Watson braved near-freezing temperatures to act as grand marshals of San Diego’s 27th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade Saturday. They smiled and waved to onlookers as the parade wound its way around PETCO Park.
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| Vice Chancellor Joe Watson |
| Click here to view the photo gallery. |
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About 500 UCSD students, staff, faculty and alumni marched with them. “Freedom through education” was their motto. It could be found on their gold T-shirts and the balloons they carried, which formed a bright blue cloud above downtown streets.
The parade featured many educational institutions, from middle schools to higher education. The event is designed to get young people involved and highlighting the education community is a good way to do that, said Robert Matthews, chair of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade committee. Alpha Phi Alpha, an international fraternity, helped organize the event. King was a member of the fraternity, as was Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Fox and Watson were selected as grand marshals based on their background and achievements, Matthews said. Watson has been marching in the parade yearly since 1986, he pointed out. “And so we thought we would honor Dr. Watson by making him one of the grand marshals this year,” he said.
“Joe and I are really honored to represent UCSD,” Chancellor Fox said before marchers set out.
The two had just come from a breakfast with San Diego educators, where the spirit and determination to live up to the ideals of Martin Luther King, Jr. really prevailed, Fox said. It’s nice to see that so many UCSD students turned out for the parade, she added.
Click here to read Chancellor Fox's speech for the Alpha Phi Alpha Breakfast in celebration of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. |
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| Members of UCSD's Black Student Union marched Saturday. |
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Lisa Smith, an urban studies and planning major, marched behind the banner of UCSD’s Black Student Union. It feels good to see the campus, Fox and Watson recognized, she said. “It is important because it shows that they care and support our education,” the third-year student said.
Sophomores Liz Bernard and Danielle McClain said they turned out to honor King’s memory. “Martin Luther King is a very important person and we should honor him,” said McClain, a human biology major. Bernard cited other
reasons too. “Equality is important and it’s important to march for that,” she said.
Many members of the Chancellor’s Office and Watson’s Student Affairs area also turned out. Glynda Davis, director of Campus Diversity Initiatives, said she was delighted that UCSD is getting recognized this year. “It allows us to literally walk our talk as far as diversity and how diversity matters at UCSD,” said Davis.
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Susan Maloney took part
in the parade in her mother's wheelchair. |
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Susan Maloney, an administrative assistant in Watson’s office, has a hip disability and couldn’t march the 1.3-mile course. But she wanted to take part anyway. So she brought a wheelchair that she inherited from her mother and decked it out with UCSD flags and blue and gold pom-poms. Her nephew, Jordan Rhee, a UCSD freshman, pushed her along. “It’s just fun,” Maloney said.
A few yards away, Catherine Talley, a human resources manager at UCSD Extension, marched with her dogs. Jodie, a 13-year-old greyhound, sported a Martin Luther King, Jr. T-shirt. He used to race in Florida, Talley explained, adding the dogs are always big crowd pleasers.
After the parade, Watson lingered to shake hands and pose for pictures.
“It was a great experience to be co-marshal with Chancellor Fox,” he said. “Dr. King emphasized the importance of education. It’s incumbent upon UCSD to always pursue that aspect of Dr. King’s dream.”
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