Distinguished comedian and educator Bill Cosby will be an Honorary Degree Recipient and Commencement Speaker at the Undergraduate Arts and Social Sciences ceremony on May 18 in St. Ignatius Church. But did you know that Bill Cosby previously visited the University of San Francisco campus 25 years ago in April, 1987? The Foghorn (Volume 82, Number 19) featured a photograph with the caption:
I Spy—Film and television star, Bill Cosby, ducked onto campus over Easter break. Public Safety’s crowd control nonetheless allowed some fans to encircle The Cosby Show’s lead character, and a wily Foghorn photographer managed to snap the shot. Cosby is in San Francisco shooting a new movie. Said Stephanie Martirani (at Cosby’s right), “It was a lot more fun than watching the grass grow.”
The photographs below (the first of which was published in The Foghorn) are from University Archives where they are housed in an extensive collection of University publicity photographs.
With thanks to Gabby Perez for locating the photographs in University Archives and researching their history.
John Hawk
Head Librarian, Special Collections & University Archives
You can view a brief biography of Dr. Cosby from the Oxford African American Studies Center, as well as the full text of Dr. Cosby’s Education Dissertation (An Integration of the Visual Media via “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” Into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning) via ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Both of these resources are available from the Library to current USF students, faculty, and staff.
I had no idea that he had a PhD! Thanks for that info.
And props to John on the amazing archival digging.
Wow, flash from the past! This was shortly before I drove Bill Cosby from USF to SF State so he could run on their track before going to SFO. He tipped me $40. A fun day & a nice perk of being 1 of the few people on campus during break! Nice digging John & Gabby!