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But, in a few short months, duty would again call him away. He
resigned from his new post, and again took a reduction in pay to begin
what would become the greatest challenge in his life.
When Stephen O'Connell arrived at the University of Florida to become
its president, he found a different campus than the one he had left
27 years earlier. The University had become an expansive, diverse
community of more than 15,000 students, and the seeds of a new social
and political awareness were beginning to be sown. To this challenge,
he brought the balance and fairness of a jurist, pledging to set the
university on a new course, one that would neither cling to outmoded
methods, nor radically tear down the system.
O'Connell questioned whether the educational process at the University
was keeping up with the needs of students and faculty, and he
questioned if certain rules and regulations were unreasonable and
ineffective. In his inaugural address, the new president said 'This
is an open campus. We welcome and encourage free discussion and
freedom of action, up to the point where action begins to infringe on
the rights of others to act, or to speak and be heard.'
"Many of my classmates from the University of Florida are now involved
in public service. State legislators, judges, or community leaders.
When asked, what led you into public service, many of them respond in
the same way I do, it's from a sense of duty, instilled in me by my
parents, my church, and by Stephen C O'Connell. Stephen C O'Connell
taught us to provide service of relentless quality and integrity,
given without regard to personal convenience."
O'Connell had returned to his alma mater, determined to make it the
number one university in the South, second to none in the nation. He
took the reins looking forward to a period of enrichment. Events of
the day would make this an uphill battle.
"When Steve O'Connell first came as President of the University of
Florida in 1967, this was a relatively placid and conservative
community. But the atmosphere changed dramatically in the years
immediately following, because of the major issues of the day, notably
the Vietnam War, Civil Rights, and the environment. They were
tumultuous years, particularly 1970, '71, and '72. Steve O'Connell
steered us through those years with a strong hand on the tiller. And
yet, he could be conciliatory, when that was wise to be, in order to
defuse explosive situations."
Perhaps the most controversial and unpopular war in American history,
Vietnam tore the nation apart. College campuses across the country
erupted in a storm of protests. The University of Florida was no
exception.
"The first major sign of demonstrations and disorder occurred in the
wake of the Kent State deaths in 1970, augmented by the invasion of
Cambodia. Students reacted angrily, and not only with anger, but with
hurt and sorrow to both of those events."
The killing of four students at Kent State sparked a student strike
and protest that lasted for days. President O'Connell joined in
declaring a day of mourning, and signed a petition urging for the end
of the war. At the same time, he affirmed his belief that further
violence was not the answer. But the appeals of one man were not
enough to stem the tide of anger.
On May 9th, 1972, after the US government mined the harbors of North
Vietnam, protests spread to the streets of Gainesville. Police from
surrounding counties were called in to disperse the growing number of
students and reestablish a thoroughfare for traffic. Faculty members
worked to avoid physical confrontation, but the police finally used
teargas on the demonstrators. When the smoke cleared, 336 had been
arrested, and over two dozen injured.
The Vietnam War was just one catalyst for crisis during the O'Connell
years. Militance over desegregation, and the rights over the
increasing number of black students, grew steadily. Finally, on April
15th, 1971, a delegation of black students stormed the President's
office with a list of demands. The action blossomed into a sit-in
at Tigert Hall. A number of protestors were arrested and faced
suspension. Word quickly spread across campus, a mass rally formed.
Once again, police were called to disperse the crowds. But over
2,000 returned that night, marching on the President's home. The
conflict, known as Black Thursday, resulted in the withdrawal of 123
black students from the University. However, most later returned.
The last major controversy to shadow the O'Connell tenure centered
around the student newspaper, the Florida Alligator.
"In 1970, there was a Federal Court judge decision that a university,
once giving its students permission to operate a student newspaper,
could not then exercise any prior contraint over what that newspaper
contained. And that its only method of dealing with something it
felt was out of order was to cause a cessation of publication or to
remove the editors. President O'Connell, himself being a very
legalistic individual, saw a complete contradiction between that and
the mandate he had from the legislature of the state of Florida, that
he was responsible for everything that happened on this campus.
President O'Connell decided to find a way to make the student
publication a viable publication off-campus, and today the Alligator
flourishes as a student newspaper, it's a much better student
newspaper than it ever was when it was on-campus."
After its independence, the Alligator printed an editorial of thanks
to the president for moving the paper into an era of freedom and
maturity, and for preserving intellectual freedom at UF. Not long
after, Stephen O'Connell made one of the toughest decisions of his
career. Many speculated on the personal and professional reasons for
the president's retirement, but only those closest to him knew one of
the most compelling concerns.
"It's well-known that stress exacerbates the diabetic condition. My
wife was a diabetic. The stressful years at the University of Florida
no doubt hastened her death. But that experience also broadened and
deepened her life, and she was very much a part of it, she willingly
undertook the risks that she did. Those years meant a great deal to
her, she willingly took that risk."
"Steve's legal training, along with his judicial experience and
temperament, made him unusually well-suited to serve as president
during this period. In these very times, he was always very calm and
collected, and he made good decisions, but he never made hasty
decisions. He made them only after there had been the opportunity
to consider the issue very carefully, and to make a judgement as a
judge would, on matters that he might be addressing at the time."
It was a time of strife, and of action, a time of struggle. It was a
time of protest, often violent. And at the center of this raging storm,
Stephen O'Connell was caught in a balancing act. He saw his first duty
as preserving the university's primary mission, to educate without
interruption, which he did. He spent equal time and energy lobbying
the government, for increasing support and understanding. And he left
behind a legacy that stand to this day.
"Well, the University of Florida, in the early 70s, was a great state
of confusion. And among that confusion were the efforts of the alumni
association to build friends and supporters for the university, and
the foundation that was put in place a number of years before, to raise
money. But these two groups were very diverse, they were not in sync
at all, and the president, President O'Connell saw the need to pull
them together."
"When Steve became president of the university, we were doing, the
university was doing very little in this area. He immediately took
action to try to improve the efforts in the area of generating
private support from alumni and friends. And in fact, he was
responsible for hiring the first professional development officer that
this university ever had. These actions, during Steve's tenure, really
provided the foundation for a very successful private support effort
over the last 20 years or so."
Under his leadership, 17 new buildings and research centers were added
to the university's facilities, and the College of Veterinary Medicine
was activated. In the midst of controversy and crisis, he had made
good his pledge. Continued growth, and increased respect for one of
the nation's finest centers of learning. And it was done for one
reason; a reason he had stated so movingly at his inauguration.
"The heaviest burden that a man can bear is a debt of gratitude which
can never be fully repaid. The debt I owe this university is so great
I can never fully repay it. I am here simply to begin payment on that
debt."
In 1973, Stephen O'Connell left the University of Florida, paid in full.
For his qualities and contributions, in 1978, the legislature and
Board of Regents honored him with the naming of the new Stephen C
O'Connell Student Activities Center. The bright Florida sunlight
gleams through its fabric dome, eliminating the need for artificial
lighting in the main interior areas. The modern design houses an
arena, weight rooms, a fencing and karate studio, a dance studio,
practice intramural courts, and an Olympic-sized pool. A fitting
tribute for a great athlete and a remarkable president.
Other honors have come. The Catholic Church awarded him its coveted
Papal Medal. The University of Florida established the Stephen C
O'Connell Chair in its College of Law. And he has received honorary
degrees from a number of universities, including Notre Dame and
Florida State University. In retirement, Stephen O'Connell has stayed
active, as Chair of the Florida Elections Commission, Chair of the
Board and CEO of the Lewis State Bank, several years of practice as a
lawyer, and continued association with the U of F Blue Key leadership
fraternity.
At home in Tallahassee today, Steve maintains strong ties to business
and politics. But his first love, as always, remains the University
of Florida. A Gator to the end, Stephen C O'Connell continues
striving to repay that debt of gratitude.
"If I had to sum up Stephen O'Connell, it would be in a few words, of
warmth, wit, integrity, and I expect probabaly, tenacity. I think
that he has a tenacity that's given him strength, it's kept his goals,
and what I think has allowed to make a rather remarkable contribution
to Florida government. He's truly one of the outstanding Floridians
and Americans in my time."