Today, Kelsey and I were disappointed because someone very famous was on campus here at Mizzou and no one told us about it until it was too late. L
Don Cheadle, an esteemed Golden Globe Award winning-actor and philanthropist, known for his work in films such as Hotel Rwanda, Crash, and the Ocean’s Eleven series, visited campus to promote the Obama campaign and speak about the importance of voting.
While Mr. Cheadle was speaking at the fountain near the Arts and Science Building, I (Kelsey M) was sitting in my French class inside the Arts and Science Building, completely unaware of what was unfolding outside. Kelsey G was at the dorm, also unaware that a famous person was on campus.
Surprisingly, Kelsey and I weren’t the only ones who were a bit star-struck. In fact, the entire afternoon it felt like all people were talking about was Don Cheadle visiting campus.
“You know him,” a girl exclaimed into her cell phone while walking down Rollins. “That guy from like Ocean’s Eleven…yeah, THAT guy!” Halfway through my French class, a student walked in late, sat down, and casually announced to the teacher (and the entire class) that he was sorry he was late, but Don Cheadle had been speaking on campus and he’d gone to see him. Later, after class had finished, a group of students zeroed in on the lucky guy and began asking questions. “Don Cheadle,” some exclaimed, familiar with the name. Others stood there, blank-faced until he explained, “He’s that guy, you know, from Ocean’s Eleven and Hotel Rwanda. Oh, and he started out on Fresh Prince.” “OOOOOHHHH…..,” they replied, in unison; both impressed and
Now, the point of this blog isn’t that Don Cheadle came to campus (well, to be honest, that’s kind of what this blog post started out as…) or that people freaked out that a famous person (other than Brad Pitt) came to a university in the middle of Missouri - it’s that, sadly, if you asked a lot of people why Don Cheadle came to campus they would probably not be able to answer your question. The only reason I know Don Cheadle came to Mizzou to talk about the Obama campaign is that I read it on an online article. One student I overheard talking about Don Cheadle’s visit near Arts and Science mentioned that he thought he was there to talk about “politics or something.”
I commend Don Cheadle for visiting our campus and taking the time to speak about an issue that he believes is important. I also commend the students and groups that helped organize his visit and make it all possible. It’s great to see the enthusiasm students have for him – I just wish that more people would pay attention to the issues he was focusing on and the reason why he was visiting, instead of just freaking out that a celebrity is on campus and calling all their friends and everyone they know.
P.S. I still wish I could have seen him! J
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