KSU to Honor Dropout Rocker Joe Walsh
Author: John Soeder
Publication: Cleveland Plain Dealer
Date: September 29, 2001
Abstract: An article about Joe getting an honorary doctorate from Kent State University.
That's Dr. Walsh to you, bub.
Singer-guitarist Joe Walsh, a college dropout who achieved rock 'n' roll superstardom as a madcap solo artist and as a member of the James Gang and the Eagles, has been chosen to receive an honorary doctor of music degree from his alma mater, Kent State University.
Walsh, who is in Los Angeles recording a new album with the Eagles, could not be reached for comment. His tour manager, Smokey Wendell, said Walsh is "totally stoked" about the academic prestige.
"He can't believe it," Wendell said. "He's very excited about it."
A resolution to confer the degree upon "Joseph Fidler Walsh" cites "his consistency and inventiveness in the most competitive field of popular music" and his commitment to "a multitude of humanitarian, social and environmental causes." The resolution was approved Wednesday by the KSU board of trustees.
Walsh, a native of Lawrence, Kan., majored in English and minored in music at KSU, where he was enrolled from 1965 to 1967. "He started his career playing guitar in the stairwells of our residence halls," said Virginia Carroll, who chairs the university's citation and recognition committee.
Walsh, 53, was formally nominated for the doctorate earlier this year by Provost Paul Gaston after Walsh's wife Denise lobbied the university on behalf of her husband. Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young submitted a letter of support. "Joe's influence on musicians throughout the world inspires others to realize their dreams," Nash wrote.
Other recipients of honorary degrees from KSU include media mogul Ted Turner, former Rep. Louis Stokes and Cleveland Orchestra music director Christoph von Dohnanyi.
As a solo artist, Walsh is best known for the hits "Rocky Mountain Way," "Life's Been Good" and "Ordinary Average Guy." He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 as a member of the Eagles and won three Grammy Awards for his work with the band. He was reunited with the James Gang in February for three sold-out concerts in Cleveland.
Between musical pursuits, Walsh ran for president of the United States in 1980, promising "free gas for everyone."
Tentative plans call for Walsh to attend KSU's Dec. 15 commencement ceremony. It remains to be seen if he will don the traditional cap and gown.
"Are you kidding?" said David Spero, a rock hall vice president who managed Walsh in the 1990s. "He'd wear the mortarboard for two weeks!"
