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As our
second decade began, there were several significant
additions to the standard programming. A series of
related sessions was devoted to celebrating the Bicentennial
of the Declaration of Independence. Nine Syracuse
University professors prepared special lectures on
various aspects of that document and related enduring
issues. Roundtable members contributed funds to produce
a booklet summarizing each of these presentations.
Ten years later, eight University faculty prepared
special lectures on the Bicentennial of the U. S.
Constitution. In this instance, four local companies
provided funds to produce a booklet of these lectures.
Evidence of the increasing prestige of TMR as a platform
for discussing public affairs was the number of state
department heads requesting the opportunity to speak.
In future years, many state officials wanted to use
our civic forum to promote a program or proposal,
or to promote their own careers.
The Roundtable also became a useful adjunct to local
organizations which brought well-known national or
international personalities to Syracuse. Members of
these local groups were often TMR members and requested
that we schedule their special guests as TMR speakers.
This provided TMR with some outstanding speakers that
were not otherwise available, especially since neither
honoraria nor expenses were paid for any speaker,
ever! Host organizations recognized that appearance
at TMR appealed to their speakers and greatly extended
the impact of their guest on this community. One newspaper
columnist headlined a story, "Speaking at the
Thursday Morning Roundtable: A Title of Honor."
In 1976, one of the most important developments in
the history of the Roundtable began as a bus trip
to Toronto. TMR programming had always had a strong
interest in metropolitan government. We had developed
and conducted conferences on that subject, often in
cooperation with the Metropolitan Development Association.
Through a related project in my office, we produced
a monthly publication, "Syracuse Metropolitan
Review," which often featured TMR personalities,
especially those connected with metropolitanism.
With help from the Metropolitan Development Association,
we organized a two-day trip to Toronto to discuss
various aspects of metropolitan government with Canadian
officials. There were two direct results of this trip
which affected TMR.
Several TMR participants, including the County Executive,
noticed that Canadian officials often wore distinctive
lapel pins, designating the town or city they represented.
Some thought we should have such a pin for Onondaga
County. We suggested to the County Executive that
TMR could conduct a local contest to design an official
county pin. A TMR committee was appointed and contest
announcements were widely distributed. More than a
dozen designs were submitted to TMR. The committee
finally selected a design prepared by Cleary Graphics,
a local firm. County Executive John Mulroy had the
design produced as a very attractive pin which he
and TMR members distributed to guests on special occasions.
The pin is still used by county officials.
This project drew a great deal of interest in and
publicity for TMR, enhancing its reputation as an
important community institution.
The second result of the Toronto trip was probably
the most important byproduct of TMR programming. One
of the speakers at the Toronto meeting was Arthur
Naftalin, Mayor of Minneapolis and a close associate
of Hubert Humphrey. Naftalin described the operation
of the Citizens League of Minneapolis-St. Paul. Many
of us in TMR were greatly impressed by this experience
of local citizens studying and reporting on local
problems and issues. Their recommendations had been
very effective in improving conditions in the twin-city
area.
On our return to Syracuse, we contacted city and
county planning groups and put together a consortium
of groups interested in sponsoring presentations by
Arthur Naftalin, including a talk at TMR. These sessions
led to a proposal drafted to several local leaders
which resulted in the creation of the Onondaga
Citizens League. About 20 TMR members formed an
Executive Committee to develop bylaws and operations
procedures and select temporary officers. For several
years I served as President of the Executive Board.
The Citizens League is a membership organization
whose sole function is to organize and administer
annual studies of one local issue or problem and to
recommend specific action regarding the topic. The
work of the League, including the preparation and
distribution of extensive reports to the community,
is underwritten by membership fees and corporate donations.
Syracuse University serves as a major contributor,
providing office space and facilities, meeting space,
and administrative services through my office. I serve
as Executive Vice President (administrative officer)
for the League.
Most League members are also members of TMR, and
report summaries are often given at TMR sessions.
The first OCL report, "Equality and Fairness
in Property Assessment: Recommendations for Onondaga
County," was issued June 5, 1979. The current
study, "Our Public Schools-New Challenges, Goals,
and Problems" will be the nineteenth annual report.
The work and reputation of the Citizens League has
been closely related to TMR for twenty years and has
been an important factor in the process of institution
building.
TMR's prestige as a civic forum involving a mixture
of influential citizens grew rapidly. This made program
development a simple task. As already noted, local
organizations often requested spots on the monthly
schedule of meetings for well-known guests brought
to Syracuse for the group's purpose. This recognition
prompted invitations to TMR from local organizations
and businesses to attend facility openings and special
celebrations. Members of TMR attended the opening
or special previews of the new Burnet Park Zoo, the
downtown shopping-library complex known as the Galleries,
the Onondaga Convention Center, the Museum of Science
and Technology, an upscale senior center called the
Nottingham, special exhibits at the Everson Museum
of Art, the new Science and Technology Center at Syracuse
University, the University's new Eggers Hall complex
for the Maxwell School, the new County Justice Center
(jail), and several other events.
Quite often, officials of these organizations or
programs spoke at TMR, announcing developments or
explaining the institution's position. An unusual
example was Everson Museum director Jim Harithas,
who made headlines defending the Everson against critics
of Yoko Ono and the nude soccer players exhibit.
At the end of our first twenty years, an analysis
of program content during that period revealed some
interesting emphases.
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The most frequent subject of programming was
health. Beginning with the first season, each
year included several programs on various topics,
including community planning, new institutions,
new health measures and systems, various medical
specialties, and so on.
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The second most popular topic has been the criminal
justice system. Included were special sessions
on prison reform (the Attica tragedy was a major
topic), alternatives to incarceration, juvenile
justice, and various costs in the justice system.
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The third area of concentration has been education,
especially the public schools, integration, and
curriculum reform.
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Other favorite subject areas are arts culture,
environmental issues, and local government, including
community planning.
The end of TMR's second decade was marked by several
parties, receptions, and citations from the Governor,
Mayor, University Chancellor, County Executive, City
Council, County Legislature, State Assembly and Senate,
local representatives in Congress, Chamber of Commerce,
and the Metropolitan Development Association.
Former Governor Mario Cuomo had been a frequent TMR
speaker since 1977, when he was Secretary of State.
He is a brilliant speaker-one of the most popular
in TMR history. In 1988, he issued a most generous
citation marking my 70th birthday, for "many
contributions to the Central New York Community."
Members of the Roundtable also contributed to the
celebration by donating funds to purchase new tables
and chairs for the meeting rooms (two classrooms are
combined for the Thursday meetings).
To mark our 25th anniversary, members made a much
larger and more significant contribution. Members
of the advisory committee embarked on an ambitious
campaign to raise $25,000 to support scholarships
for part-time adult students enrolled at University
College. A scholarship committee was chaired by Dr.
Ernest Sarason, one of this community's most successful
fund-raisers. Through a well organized campaign which
eventually involved almost all TMR members and some
non-member friends, we raised $28,000. With the addition
of funds matched by other Syracuse University resources,
18 scholarships have been awarded to qualified and
needy students. Each fall, two awardees are selected
from many applicants at a TMR Scholarship Committee
meeting with University College advisors. The winners
speak briefly at a TMR meeting, expressing their appreciation
and elaborating on their education plans.
At the conclusion of TMR's third decade, we prepared
a booklet entitled "Thirty Years of Civic Education
for Better Informed, More Responsible Citizens."
This publication was given to members at a Hotel Syracuse
luncheon, together with little round wooden tables
inscribed "TMR 1965-1995." Mary Anne Winfield,
a well-known management and public relations consultant,
led a group of members in preparing skits, slides,
and songs to commemorate our 30 years of civic education.
The publication presented statistics indicating TMR's state
of health after 30 years. There were 230 members. One hundred
twelve had been members for ten or more years. Twenty six
percent worked in private business; 25 percent in a social
service agency; 15 percent in government; 13 percent in
education; 6 percent in medicine or dentistry; 4 percent
in religion; and 11 percent were retired (but most were
still active in the community). Forty-three percent were
chief officers or the heads of a business, agency, or office.
TMR programs continue as we approach the end of 1997.
Details of program activity since TMR's 30th anniversary
are included in an appendix. As this history was being
completed, the 1138th TMR program took place, on June
12, 1997.
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