But when actress Rita Moreno backed out as guest speaker for Shippensburg University's Gifted Minority Scholarship lecture, Erving agreed to substitute. Erving, who spent five years in the American Basketball Association and 11 years in the National Basketball Association as a Philadelphia 76er, spent Thursday evening as the guest speaker for the 18th annual scholarship benefit.
Leaders make things happen.
He warned students against concentrating only on the good times they have had. The meek might inherit the earth, but they won't necessarily improve it. But he quickly turned serious. They were leaders at a time when it wasn't easy for them to be leaders, and some of them sacrificed their lives for what they believed in. Kennedy's assassination in November 1963 was particularly hard on Erving.