The 40th governor of the state of Wisconsin and former chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point will be honored at the exact spot where he took his oath of office as governor 22 years ago.

Lee Sherman Dreyfus will be recognized with the placement of a marker on the front lawn of Old Main at 4 p.m., Sunday, April 22. Former Gov. Dreyfus, his wife, Joyce, and many colleagues, family and friends will gather for a brief ceremony on the lawn followed by a reception in the recently refurbished Old Main Founder�s Room. The public is welcome to attend and extend appreciation to the former chancellor and governor.

A piece of red granite, Wisconsin�s state rock, will be placed near the flagpoles in front of Old Main. The 2 � foot shaved rock will have a bronze plate shaped like the state of Wisconsin which will say, "At this site, Dr. Lee Sherman Dreyfus, 9th President of Wisconsin State University from 1967-1972 and 1st Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, was sworn in as Wisconsin�s 40th governor on January 1, 1979."

"This gathering with Lee and Joyce is one way for this campus and community to say thank you on behalf of Central Wisconsin and indeed the entire state," said UWSP Chancellor Thomas F. George. "It is only fitting to hold this event on the same grounds where Chancellor Dreyfus took the oath of office. This campus, this community and this state are much better off today thanks to his public service."

Dreyfus was the ninth president of Wisconsin State University from 1967-1972 and first chancellor of UWSP from 1972-1978 following merger of the UW System. To date only six university presidents have been elected governors in U.S. history.

Guests invited to attend include Governor Scott McCallum, Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson and Associate Justice William Bablitch, Attorney General James Doyle, former Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, Terry Porter of the NBA�s San Antonio Spurs, former State Senator David Helbach, members of the Dreyfus administrations both at UWSP and in Madison, State Senator Kevin Shibilski, State Representative Julie Lassa, Stevens Point Mayor Gary Wescott and others.

During his tenure as Wisconsin�s governor, Dreyfus supported the establishment of the UW School of Veterinary Medicine, added 1848 to the state�s flag, signed the nation�s first gay rights legislation and guided Wisconsin through a recession.

Upon Dreyfus� announcement that he would not run for a second term as governor, Frank Ryan of UPI said about him, "Dreyfus will leave a legacy that includes a corruption-free administration, an historic reform in the income tax system and a broadening in the membership of the Wisconsin Republican Party. He also bequeaths a style of open government unprecedented in the Capitol�s East Wing. ". . . Dreyfus should be remembered as an honest, humane governor of high moral character, a genuinely nice man who seemed to have life�s real values in perspective."

On the following Monday, Dreyfus will give the keynote address at UWSP�s biennial Laird Youth Leadership Day.

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