David Domke Gets the Last Word

Washington Weekend stars tomorrow. That's pretty exciting.

This blogger, a 2004 UW graduate, has never been to Washington Weekend before but is really looking forward to it and plans to attend several events. Just last night I signed up for the "Who Gets the Last Word?" lecture, featuring Associate Professor of Communications David Domke.

Dr. Domke is awesome. My very first class as a freshman was CMU 200 with him, at 8:30 in the morning no less, and I still remember him being a great speaker. He used to be a reporter and I'll never forget his story about trying to make a tight deadline. He was working in Los Angeles at the time and had to get back to the office ASAP to file his story (this was WAY before laptops and Wi-Fi). Unfortunately, the traffic was its usual horrendous self and time was running out. So he swerved left and onto the shoulder. Bad idea, right? Yep. He got pulled over and was slapped with a pretty stiff fine. But he took the ticket, kept his mouth shut, and continued to cruise down the shoulder after the officer got back into traffic and left him alone. That's dedication! And I'm pretty sure he made his deadline, too.

The "Who Gets the Last Word?" lecture is our annual send-off to the senior class, but it's open to everybody and has a reputation for being unconventional and highly entertaining. We asked the Class of 2008 to vote for their favorite professor and they chose Dr. Domke. The professors who get picked to deliver the Last Word lecture can talk about whatever they want, and they usually make it pretty offbeat and funny. Domke will not disappoint.

He won a Distinguished Teaching Award in 2002, so we already knew what a great teacher he is. But this Last Word lecture is his chance to let loose and have some fun for the Class of '08 that selected him as their favorite professor. The lecture is FREE and goes from 6-8 p.m. Thursday in Kane 200. It's just one of many exciting events happening this week at Washington Weekend. What's on your agenda?

Click on the title of this post to RSVP for the "Who Gets the Last Word?" lecture.