Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to Visit Marshall University Sept. 10

Friday, August 31, 2007, HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas will visit Marshall University’s Huntington campus Monday, Sept. 10, to speak at the regular meeting of the Huntington chapter of AARP. The meeting will take place at the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center.

The general public is invited to attend, although seating will be limited. The meeting begins at 6 p.m., and doors open at 5:30 p.m. AARP members are asked to bring their local membership cards to receive priority seating.

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Marshall President Stephen J. Kopp said the university is honored to welcome Justice Thomas to campus.

“It is a tremendous honor to have a United States Supreme Court Justice visit Marshall University,” Kopp said. “Although our institution is named after Chief Justice John Marshall, this visit will be the first time a Justice of the nation’s highest court has visited one of our campuses. We look forward to learning more about Justice Thomas and hearing his presentation on September 10.”

Dolly Rozzi, president of the Huntington chapter of AARP, worked for Thomas for eight years in the 1980s while he was chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She headed the office of review and appeals where final decisions of discrimination were made.

About six months ago, Rozzi and a group of local citizens visited Thomas in Washington, D.C. Joining Rozzi on the trip were Cabell County Circuit Judge Alfred E. Ferguson, Christ Temple Church Pastor Chuck Lawrence and his son, Chafe, and Maryann Henry.

Rozzi asked Thomas to attend the Huntington AARP meeting to help increase enrollment in the chapter, which has been in existence for only 10 months. She said the chapter has 190 members and is the fastest growing chapter in the United States. Rozzi said Thomas will speak on senior issues and aging in America.

When asking Thomas to visit Marshall, Rozzi informed him that John Marshall never visited the college.

“It is ironic that Justice Marshall was never able to visit Marshall University,” Rozzi said. “We are extremely excited that Justice Thomas will be the first to visit Marshall at its Huntington campus.”

John Marshall served the Supreme Court from 1801 to 1835, the longest serving Chief Justice in United States history. He died two years before Marshall Academy was formed in 1837.

Thomas took his seat on the Supreme Court on Oct. 23, 1991. He was nominated by then-President George H.W. Bush.

Thomas was born in Pin Point, Ga., in 1948. He attended Conception Seminary from 1967 to 1968 and received an A.B., cum laude, from Holy Cross College in 1971 and a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1974. He was admitted to law practice in Missouri in 1974 and served as an Assistant Attorney General of Missouri from 1974 to 1977.

From 1981 to 1982, he served as Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights with the U.S. Department of Education, and as Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from 1982 to 1990. From 1990 to 1991, Thomas served as a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Although she is a Democrat and Thomas is a Republican, Rozzi said they had no problem working together. “It was not a Democrat or Republican thing,” she said. “We were about the business of eliminating discrimination in employment. We were both dedicated to the goal of equal employment opportunity. Sometimes we disagreed on how to get there, but the goal was the same.”

The corporate sponsor of the Huntington AARP is St. Mary’s Medical Center which has been a partner, not only in the success of the Huntington chapter, but also in bringing Justice Thomas to Huntington.

“St. Mary’s Medical Center is pleased to support the Huntington chapter of AARP and its members in sponsoring Justice Clarence Thomas’ visit to Marshall’s campus,” said Michael Sellards, president and CEO of St. Mary’s. “We are very interested to hear his views on senior and health issues and hope the community will benefit from his words of wisdom.”

Source: Marshall University