IOP Fall Fellows Present Perspectives on Public Service

A granddaughter of a former president and a student civil rights leader were only two of the Institute of Politics (IOP) Fall Semester Fellows gathered in the ARCO Forum of Public Affairs yesterday evening for a panel discussion.

Susan Eisenhower and John Mack, along with Dan Kemmis '68, Susan Molinari and Marguerite Sullivan each shared their "Personal Perspectives on Politics" with a group of about 50 people.

"It's a great collection of fellows," said Dionne A. Fraser '99. "They're wonderfully diverse in backgrounds, but they all share a love for service."

Susan Eisenhower is the granddaughter of former president Dwight D. Eisenhower, and she currently serves as chair of the Washington-based Center for Political and Strategic Studies.

Susan Eisenhower's first political memories are the 1956 Republican convention and her grandfather's second presidential inauguration.

Her interest in foreign policy stemmed from a surprise visit to her home by Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev in 1959.

"My grandfather had this rather bad habit of dropping in with foreign visitors," Eisenhower said. "I will, of course, never forget this encounter. It was the genesis of how I got interested in Russian affairs."

For Eisenhower, an interest in Russian affairs extends to a personal level.

"I got married to one of Gorbachev's advisers. He was the first person in the history of the Soviet Union to vote against a piece of legislation," she said. "You might say the rest is history."

Mack is a native of South Carolina, where he encountered much of the segregation that he would work to eliminate as a civil rights activist.

"I grew up in the 1940s and 1950s, the time of rigid blatant segregation and the ugly raw hatred that is almost impossible to imagine," Mack said.

Mack found his inspiration for public service while in Atlanta during the height of the civil rights movement.

"There was something about that period as we stood toe to toe with the Klan threatening our lives," he said.

To conclude, Mack quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve."

Former U.S. representative Susan Molinari began her political career at age 26 as a member of the New York City Council.

"My first day on the job I was the minority leader on the City Council. I was the only Republican in New York City government at the time," Molinari said. "It presented a wonderful challenge to me. I had no time to be a freshman."

She went on to serve in the House of Representatives from 1990 to 1998, and she was the keynote speaker on behalf of presidential nominee Bob Dole in the 1996 Republican Convention. After stepping down from her House seat, Molinari hosted a short-lived weekend news program on CBS.

Marguerite Sullivan began her career as a journalist. Based on her experiences growing up, she said she "felt that [she] had no place as a woman in politics."

Reporting on political events in Washington led Sullivan to find her calling in public service.

"I felt that [as a journalist] I didn't make a difference at all," Sullivan said.

Sullivan served under both former Presidents Reagan and Bush. She also spent four years as a cabinet member for New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman (R).

The move to state politics was an important transition for Sullivan.

"It's really on the state and local level where one has a huge impact on politics," Sullivan said.

Kemmis also found his calling in grassroots-level politics.

He became interested in government during his youth in Montana, and he came to Harvard to study politics during the Vietnam War era. He returned to Montana and became mayor of Missoula.

"I grew up as a Democrat with a big 'D', but it was democrat with a small 'd' that solidified my interest in politics," Kemmis said.

Currently, Kemmis serves as the director of the Center for the Rocky Mountain West.

Many students at the forum were excited about working with the fellows this semester.

"I think it's going to be a really good semester with something for everyone," said Chair of the IOP study groups committee C.J. Mahoney '00.

"It was fascinating to hear what [the panelists] had to say," said Luis A. Campos '99.CrimsonRoss J. FleischmanCONGRESS TO CAMBRIDGE: SUSAN MOLINARI shares anecdotes at the IOP.

Reporting on political events in Washington led Sullivan to find her calling in public service.

"I felt that [as a journalist] I didn't make a difference at all," Sullivan said.

Sullivan served under both former Presidents Reagan and Bush. She also spent four years as a cabinet member for New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman (R).

The move to state politics was an important transition for Sullivan.

"It's really on the state and local level where one has a huge impact on politics," Sullivan said.

Kemmis also found his calling in grassroots-level politics.

He became interested in government during his youth in Montana, and he came to Harvard to study politics during the Vietnam War era. He returned to Montana and became mayor of Missoula.

"I grew up as a Democrat with a big 'D', but it was democrat with a small 'd' that solidified my interest in politics," Kemmis said.

Currently, Kemmis serves as the director of the Center for the Rocky Mountain West.

Many students at the forum were excited about working with the fellows this semester.

"I think it's going to be a really good semester with something for everyone," said Chair of the IOP study groups committee C.J. Mahoney '00.

"It was fascinating to hear what [the panelists] had to say," said Luis A. Campos '99.CrimsonRoss J. FleischmanCONGRESS TO CAMBRIDGE: SUSAN MOLINARI shares anecdotes at the IOP.