Asimov Dismisses Invitation to Speak At Commencement

Author Isaac Asimov turned down an invitation Monday to speak at the Senior Class Day ceremony. He joins a growing list of celebrities who refused the same invitation, including woody Allen, Lily Tomlin and Orson Welles.

Asimov was the last speaker from a list of "possibles" to reply. "We gave our first two or three choices a lot of time to respond. That's why we're in trouble now," Llewellyn J. Marczuk '78, senior class marshal, said Monday.

The marshals drew up the list of possible speakers after polling the entire senior class last fall.

The marshals are now looking for "people in the area, perhaps someone in a Broadway show, or someone with a Harvard angel," Marczuk added.