David Letterman's alma mater Ball State still sorting through donated memorabilia
MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State University is still inventorying, appraising and researching more than 1,000 items donated to it by alumnus David Letterman.
The gift was announced during Letterman's appearance on campus with filmmakers Bennett Miller and Spike Jonze on Nov. 30, 2015.
Items began to arrive in August of last year, "and we've also had ... a couple of additional shipments come, some in January, some in May," said Stephanie Arrington, a member of the Ball State president's staff. "It's exciting."
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The university library's archives and special collections office recently released a “Top Ten” list of things in the collection:
10. Twenty-seven commemorative Late Night with David Letterman and Late Show with David Letterman jackets, a limited number of which were handed out every year as Christmas gifts to staff and close friends.
9. Sixteen early-career photographs of Letterman as a stand-up comic and newscaster in the 1970s.
8. A blue and gold Late Show marquee from the Ed Sullivan Theater.
7. Host desk, guest chairs, stage platform, etc., from the set of Late Show at the Sullivan theater.
6. A collection of more than 50 audio, video and film recordings, mostly documenting Letterman's early career, including his work at Ball State's WBST radio station and his work as a broadcaster and weather reporter at Indianapolis television station WLWI (now WTHR).
5. Photographs of Letterman with mentor Johnny Carson.
4. A letter from Letterman to radio announcer Gary Owens of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In seeking career advice, 1969.
3. Signed photographs from President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama of their guest appearances on the Late Show.
2. Letterman's Kennedy Center Honor medal from 2012. Other honorees that year included actor Dustin Hoffman and Led Zeppelin's lead singer, Robert Plant.
1. Fifteen Emmy Awards won by Letterman from The David Letterman Show, Late Night and The Late Show.
"This was the desk he used at the very end, the final set of the show," said Michael Szajewski, head of Ball State's archives and special collections. "Think about how many prominent celebrities have sat in those chairs."
Onstage in Muncie when the gift was announced, Letterman joked about how meaningful it would be for people to sit at the desk "and pretend to talk to an actor."
How much is the collection worth?
"We don't know," said Phil Repp, dean of the college of architecture and chairman of a committee in charge of the collection. "We brought in consultants from Chicago to help us determine the value ... and they're still kind of in the middle of that process."
A lot of work remains before any parts of the collection can be made available for public display and pop-culture/political research purposes.
Besides Jonze and Miller, Letterman has brought Oprah Winfrey, Rachel Maddow and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone to the Emens stage at BSU for interviews. His contributions to the university include the Letterman scholarships, the Letterman lecture series, and aiding in the startup of the student-run radio station WCRD in 1986. The university chose him as the namesake for the David Letterman Communication and Media Building.
Will he be returning to Emens someday?
"I think he'd love to do that, yes," said Tom Keaney, Letterman's publicist. But he added, "There is nothing to announce at this time."
Why did Letterman choose to give his memorabilia to his alma mater?
"If you go back to when Dave endowed the speaker series at Ball State, it's clear he wanted students to have opportunities to see and experience things he did not have when he was a student. I think this donation fits into that category."
