Ball State honors David Letterman

MUNCIE – Even the rain couldn’t stop David Letterman. \nComedian David Letterman was honored during a wet ceremony Friday naming Ball State University’s new communications and media building in his honor. \nDespite fickle rain, thousands of fans turned out to see Ball State’s most famous alumnus. Letterman earned a B.A. in telecommunications from the university in 1969 and decades later became the host of CBS’s “Late Show.” \nThe $21 million, 75,000-square-foot David Letterman Communications and Media Building houses the College of Communication, Indiana Public Radio and several classrooms. The three-story structure connects the Robert Bell Building and Ball Communications Building on the west side of the campus. \n“The future of communications is inside this building,” Letterman said. \nDespite the soggy conditions, Letterman still had hundreds of wet fans laughing. \n“I hope it will mean something to my son that his dad has his name on a building, and who knows? It may help him impress girls,” Letterman said. \nLetterman was joined on stage by his mother Dorothy Mengering, and in the audience by his 4-year-old son Harry. \n“I struggled through college. I graduated barely with a 2.0 grade point average … it was an ugly 2.0. If reasonable people could put my name on a $21 million building, anything is possible,” he said. \nLetterman’s dedication marked the first time that he had been to the university in more than two decades although he has given annual scholarships to telecommunication students since 1985. \nSee Monday’s IDS for more coverage.