Eureka College Hosts "Fall of the Wall" Commemoration
EUREKA – On Thursday November 16, 2023, at 4:00 PM, Eureka College will commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall with a program on campus. The Fall of the Wall program is dedicated to the historic day when the Iron Curtain was brought down on November 9th, 1989, marking the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. It will take place in Becker Auditorium, located in the Cerf Center, across from the Peace Garden where a piece of the Berlin Wall can be found.
In a speech at the Brandenburg Gate, famous Eureka College alum, President Ronald Reagan challenged Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Wall. “We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace...Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall!”
Guest speaker Dr. Andrew I. Port, Professor of History at Wayne State University, will share his story of witnessing the fall of the Berlin Wall firsthand. Having lived in Berlin for two years following, he offers a unique perspective on how that event shaped the social and political landscape around him. He previously taught at Harvard and at Yale where he earned his graduate and undergraduate degrees, conducted research from Germany as a Harvard graduate student, and worked as a project coordinator in the Office of Human Rights in Nuremberg, Germany.
Conflict and Stability in the German Democratic Republic was Dr. Port’s first award winning book. In it, he offers a realistic picture of everyday life in socialist Germany. His latest book, Never Again: Germans and Genocide after the Holocaust looks at German reactions to foreign genocide after 1945. Both can be found on Amazon and copies of Conflict and Stability in the German Democratic Republic will be made available for purchase after the program.
This program is free and open to the public. Reservations are encouraged. To RSVP, please call 309.467.6317.
About Eureka College
Located on nearly 70 wooded acres in Eureka, Illinois, and chartered in 1855, Eureka College cultivates excellence in learning, service and leadership while providing students uniquely personalized educational opportunities.
Eureka College holds the unique distinction of being the first college in Illinois and among the first in the nation to admit men and women on an equal basis. The College, originally founded by abolitionist members of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), is the smallest of only 24 colleges and universities to ever award a bachelor’s degree to a future President of the United States.