Letterman is ‘Top Ten’ at Ball State

MUNCIE – Comedian David Letterman was honored Friday at Ball State University during a ceremony naming the university’s new communications and media building after its most famous alumnus.\nMany were unsure whether Letterman would actually speak during the ceremony, but the Indianapolis native silenced those rumors when he took the podium 27 minutes in.\n“I will not be eliminating my comments,” he said after Ball State University President Jo Ann M. Gora decided not to speak because of threatening weather. “Screw the weather.”\nThe rain couldn’t dampen Letterman’s witty and dry humor.\n“I’ll tell you two things about President Gora: You are lucky to have this woman as your representative of this great university,” he said. “She also has tremendous legs.”\nLetterman also spoke of his college years, and what it meant to have the building named in his honor.\n“I struggled through college. I graduated barely with a 2.0 grade point average – it was an ugly 2.0,” Letterman said. “If reasonable people could put my name on a $21 million building, anything is possible.”\nHe even presented the crowd with a special “Top 10 good things about having your name on a building,” for the occasion, including No. 1: “Unlike me, it should still look good when it’s 60,” he said.\nThe $21 million, 75,000-square-foot David Letterman Communications and Media Building opened in August when fall semester classes began. The building houses the College of Communication, Indiana Public Radio and several classrooms.\nDorothy Mengering, Letterman’s mother, joined her son on stage during the ceremony but did not speak. Mengering is best known for her frequent appearances on “The Late Show,” especially her yearly appearance on the show near Thanksgiving when Letterman must guess the flavors of pies she has baked.\n“I’m surprised she’s here,” Letterman said. “She’s usually at home watching Oprah.”\nLetterman’s 4-year-old son Harry was seated close to the stage in the front row of the audience during the ceremony.\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 and company were greeted by security fit for the president himself. Metal gates restricted fans, media and even the school’s mascot, Charlie Cardinal, from getting close to the building during the ceremony. \nWeather was a hindrance throughout the day for the hundreds of fans who came out for the ceremony. But even with the uncertain weather, fan turnout was high. Fans started lining McKinley Avenue near the building around 2:30 p.m. even though the ceremony was not scheduled to start until 4 p.m. Several fans held signs or dressed up like the comedian, complete with glasses and a gap tooth. \nLetterman, a 1969 graduate, is one of Ball State University’s most famous alumni. After graduating, he held several odd jobs – including a stint as an anchor and weatherman for what would later become Indianapolis’ WTHR (Channel 13) – before moving to California. As a comedian in the state, Letterman made several appearances on and guest hosted “The Tonight Show” when Johnny Carson was the host. On Aug. 30, 1993, Letterman became the host of CBS’s “Late Show.” \nThe ceremony marked the first time Letterman had visited the university since speaking at the school’s 1979 homecoming. \n“While Dave says he wasn’t a great student, he was always a creative talent,” Gora said, adding that he also was known for his quick wit, which got him fired from local radio station WBST-FM 92.1.\nGora also presented Letterman with a Sagamore of the Wabash, the highest honor a governor can bestow, from Gov. Mitch Daniels. Daniels was unable to attend the ceremony because he left early Friday for a trade meeting in Japan.\n“I guess it would mean so much more if the governor were actually here, but I’m sure he’s busy doing something,” joked Letterman.