UNIVERSITY PROGRAM COUNCIL
LILY TOMLIN
Bama Theater
November 18, 1976
By Barry Bukstein
The University Program Council has had an essential effect on my life, both positive and negative, but forever grateful for the experience.
I’m still not sure how I stumbled onto the third floor of Ferguson Center where many of the student organizations had outposts.
I walked into the UPC suite of offices. What stood out from the very first moment was a rare acceptance. As I began to get involved in various committee work, I felt like I was more than just a foot soldier carrying out mundane assignments, like stapling promotional posters on telephone poles.
I felt like I’d finally found my place on campus.
Mark Gaughn, or “Buffalo,” as he was known, was the Chair of the UPC Recreation Committee. Much like a scene out of to hit movie “Animal House,” Buffalo me a name right off the bat.
I was Bagel Boy.
Later, I became chairman of the committee. We produced activities like amateur talent shows and a National Frisbee Tournament [we even made special Frisbees for the event].
Over the years, the UPC welcomed comedy events such as the stoner duo Cheech & Chong, actor-comedian-activist Godfrey Cambridge, Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, the Harlem Globetrotters, and Steve Martin.
Regardless, compared to the rock shows and cultural events, comedy had been neglected. This, I told myself, was a grad opportunity. The Bama Theater in downtown Tuscaloosa featured a ceiling filled with twinkling lights to emulate stars in the night sky. It was with that in mind that the UPC developed a program we called “Laughter Under the Stars.”
The first booking was a home run: Lily Tomlin.
When I picked her up at the airport, she was quiet and reserved. But onstage at the Bama, her energy popped right through.
She did two shows that evening that were remarkable, each different in terms of the content presented.
After her performance, Tomlin insisted on hanging out with the UPC staffers who worked the show, as well as some of her ardent fans who stuck around.
She thanked them all, then turned and kissed me on the cheek. It is a memory that I still hold in my heart.
I found that just like Lily, many of the celebrities we encountered at UPC events often presented a quiet, reserved existence off the stage. But once the lights went on, it was showtime!
Abba Eban was a UPC speaker. He was a distinguished political Israeli political figure with an international reputation. Eban was charismatic, and renowned for his work in the Middle East and at the United Nations. South African by birth, Eban trained at Oxford and was applauded for his legendary oratory skills.
When I picked him up at the airport and headed back to the University … he was quiet. Trying to engage him in conversation was difficult. However, there was one topic that seemed to get him excited. I owned a Volvo and so did he. And that was the center of our conversation.
It terms of his speech, Eban told me that college campuses seemed to ask him the same 10 questions.
I was also fascinated by the fact that he brought no notes with him. But it was memorable, an amazing speech.
And he was absolutely right about the 10 questions.