Garry Trudeau

On March 25, I went to Coe’s Annual Contemporary Issues Forum. Garry Trudeau (a Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist of Doonesbury) was the speaker, and I thought it was a really cool event...so naturally I thought I should recap the evening for you!

I work for Coe's Public Relations Office, so I served as an usher and sort of a "behind the scenes" helper for this event. The PR Office has truly been an awesome internship this spring because there are a variety of tasks I get to do -- in and out of the office! Helping with this forum was definitely another one of those great experiences.

Trudeau arrived in Cedar Rapids on March 25, ate dinner with a small group of people at 5:30, delivered his actual speech to the Coe and surrounding communities at 7:30, and concluded his night at a reception at the Alumni House from 9-10. I went to Sinclair at 6:15 and within five minutes, we already had guests arriving for the big evening!

Everyone was seated and Trudeau’s presentation started around 7:30. I thought his speech was funny and informative. He started off with a comical remark about his daughter having a longer Facebook bio than even his own. Drawings of his works and clips from video were used as visual aids throughout his speech which kept the audience engaged and lively. The crowd seemed to be very entertained by this and Trudeau’s natural humor in his delivery. The presentation ended with a question and answer session, and guests who RSVP’d attended the reception in the Alumni House at 9 for social time, food and drinks.

I’m glad I was able to attend this forum, as well as be a part of the organization and ushering in Sinclair. The next morning, my boss invited me to go out to breakfast with him and Trudeau. This was SO much fun. I was able to actually meet Trudeau and speak to him in an informal coffee-shop setting. I never read the comic section in the newspaper, but after meeting Trudeau and previewing some of his work, I'm definitely going to look for Doonesbury this week!