Charles E. Odegaard was president of the University of Washington from 1958-1973.  During his tenure, he helped double student enrollment, oversaw construction of 35 new buildings, and helped define the UW as a prestigious research and teaching institution.

President Odegaard was generally willing to listen to student concerns and believed in freedom of speech on campus. Although he did not tolerate violence or radical protests, he was otherwise supportive of student activism.

In the photo below, President Odegaard speaks to 7,000 UW students on May 5, 1970 who had gathered at Red Square to protest the shootings at Kent State University.  Odegaard closed the university on May 6 for a “day of reflection.” He was also one of 37 American university presidents to send a telegram to President Nixon asking for immediate withdrawal from Vietnam and Cambodia.