Controversial University of Illinois professor Bill Ayers was denied honor of faculty emeritus Thursday when university board President Christopher Kennedy argued against bestowing the honor to Ayers. Kennedy cited as a reason Ayers' book Prairie Fire's dedication to Kennedy's father's assassin, Sirhan Sirhan. The U of I board agreed unanimously. From the Tribune:
"I am guided by my conscience and one which has been formed by a series of experiences, many of which have been shared with the people of our country and mark each of us in a profound way," Kennedy said.
He said he could not confer the title "to a man whose body of work includes a book dedicated in part to the man who murdered my father."
Kennedy was referring to a 1974 book co-authored by Ayers, "Prairie Fire," which was dedicated to a long list of people including Robert Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan and "all political prisoners in the U.S."
Ayers became a controversial figure in Barack Obama's presidential campaign because they worked on a school-reform initiative together, leading opponents to say Obama was linked to a "terrorist." UIC was forced to release more than 1,000 files detailing the activities of that group. The university also faced questions in 2001 after Ayers wrote in his memoir about helping with the non-fatal bombings of government buildings.
Ayers became a controversial figure in Barack Obama's presidential campaign because they worked on a school-reform initiative together, leading opponents to say Obama was linked to a "terrorist." UIC was forced to release more than 1,000 files detailing the activities of that group. The university also faced questions in 2001 after Ayers wrote in his memoir about helping with the non-fatal bombings of government buildings.
