From Hank Klibanoff speech at the Department of Journalism’s commemoration of a memorial bench in honor of the French journalist Paul L. Guihard who was killed on the Ole Miss campus in 1962.
I would call on the killer of Paul Guihard, or anyone who knows the story of how Paul Guihard came to die on this campus, to come forward and tell the truth. Tell us what happened.
To the killer: Tell us what happened. Tell us what you said, what he said, what you did, what he did. Tell us why you did it. Tell us how it felt.
Then tell us who you are. Tell us your story. What led you there that night, and what have you been doing since? Have you wrestled with the memory of your act? Everyday or just when you read about gatherings that memorialized the events here? How does this act fit in with your life? Was this just another in a series of criminal acts in your life, or was it an example of a highflying burst of idiocy?
Are you a spiritual or religious person? How have you squared your act with your faith? Do you believe in an afterlife? How do you think you’re going to end up? Where do you think you’re going to end up?
The day-long event was sponsored by the Campus Chapter of The Society of Professional Journalist under the leadership of Associate Professor Kathleen Wickham.
Watch for Klibanoff’s speech coming soon on our MCast.
