{"id":69532,"date":"2016-03-14T08:13:43","date_gmt":"2016-03-14T13:13:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/?p=69532"},"modified":"2016-03-14T08:13:43","modified_gmt":"2016-03-14T13:13:43","slug":"laforge-displays-beatles-memorabilia-at-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deltastate.edu\/news-and-events\/2016\/03\/laforge-displays-beatles-memorabilia-at-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"LaForge displays Beatles memorabilia at museum"},"content":{"rendered":"

Delta State University President William N. LaForge has made it no secret that he qualifies as a fan of the legendary band The Beatles.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been a big influence in my life,\u201d said LaForge. \u201cIn fact, \u2018In My Life\u2019 was a song played at my inauguration. The tribute band, 1964: The Tribute, was also at my inauguration. The Beatles had a big influence on those of us who grew up in the \u201860s. They have the best music on the planet, and there will never be another group like them.\u201d<\/p>\n

LaForge, who\u2019s been known to play his guitar with Delta Music Institute students and faculty, credits The Beatles\u00a0as his major musical influence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember being 14 in the summer of 1964 when they first came to the United States,\u201d he said. \u201cEverything on the radio was The Beatles. Since then, I\u2019ve listened to them, and I love playing their music. They were a window into music for me. I\u2019ve learned a lot of music, and a lot about music, through their songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

And his love for The Beatles was on full display this weekend \u2014 literally \u2014 as GRAMMY Museum\u00ae Mississippi opened its doors on Delta State\u2019s campus March 5.<\/p>\n

Just the second GRAMMY Museum in the world, the new facility honors Mississippi for being the birthplace of American music. Fittingly, The Beatles were a major part of the opening with an entire exhibit, \u201cLadies and Gentlemen\u2026The Beatles!,\u201d which celebrates the Fab Four landing in America and changing pop culture forever.<\/p>\n

Stop by the museum, and one of the first things to catch your eye is a case full of LaForge\u2019s unique items. LaForge, being the major Beatles fan that his is, has a large memorabilia collection.<\/p>\n

\u201cI offered a few things for the display to be supportive of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi\u2019s opening and The Beatles exhibit,\u201d he said. \u201cOne thing lead to another, and Emily Jones, our university archivist, helped assemble it. She found a showcase for everything and put it all together in great style.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to LaForge, the signature piece of the display is the ticket stub he saved after attending the band\u2019s final paid live concert on Aug. 29, 1966 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. The only other saved ticket LaForge has seen from this show is at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.<\/p>\n

Other items in the showcase include Beatles bobbleheads, records, vinyl 45s, DVDs, a complete library of sheet music, pictures, chord books and many other collectibles.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally, I\u2019m just an amateur collector, nowhere near the level of the guys who put together \u2018Ladies and Gentlemen\u2026The Beatles! I\u2019m happy to share the collection I have as long as the museum \"\"<\/a>wants,\u201d said LaForge.<\/p>\n

Just days after the grand opening, LaForge said both the campus and community remain in awe of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s incredible that we have a Grammy Museum here on this campus, and that we\u2019re connected with it through our educational collaborations and partnerships,\u201d he said. \u201cThe grand opening was a superb event and we look forward to endless opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

One such opportunity is the upcoming Beatles conference, \u201cBeatles Symposium 2016: From the Cavern to Candlestick,\u201d a two-day event being presented jointly by Delta State and the museum on April 1-2.<\/p>\n

The symposium will celebrate the lasting influence and impact of The Beatles with a weekend full of activities, headlined by distinguished Beatles \"\"<\/a>authors Ivor Davis and Jude Southerland Kessler.<\/p>\n

Other activities will explore The Beatles\u2019 musical and cultural impact, including discussions with noted Beatles historians, live music, recipe classes and film screenings, including a special screening of \u201cGood Ol\u2019 Freda,\u201d which documents Freda Kelly, former head of The Beatles Fan Club.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeatlemania\u201d is certainly in the air at Delta State University and GRAMMY Museum Mississippi.<\/p>\n

Visit http:\/\/www.grammymuseumms.org\/programs\/upcoming-programs\/beatles-symposium-event-schedule<\/a> to follow schedule updates as the conference date approaches.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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