John Oates Makes Temple’s Hall Of Fame

John Oates to be inducted into Temple University’s School of Media and Communication Hall of Fame

Just months after his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with partner Daryl Hall, John Oates has earned a spot in yet another Hall of Fame — this time at his alma mater.
Oates, who graduated from Temple University’s School of Media and Communication in 1970 with a degree in journalism, is one of five Temple alumni who will be inducted this year as part of the school’s annual Lew Klein Alumni in the Media Awards on Friday, Sept. 26.

“John is an extraordinary artist who, with his partner, defined a musical genre and ultimately became the most successful duo in rock history. John’s creativity, style and longevity are a wonderful example of what ‘Self Made, Philly Made, Temple Made’ is all about,” said David Boardman, dean of the School of Media and Communication, referencing Temple’s advertising slogan.

Temple’s North Philadelphia campus is where Oates first met Hall, a 1969 graduate of Temple’s Boyer College of Music and Dance, and forged a lifelong connection through their love of music.

“It is well know in the music industry that John’s music career started while still a student at Temple and thus has brought national recognition to our school,” said the award’s namesake, Lew Klein, a broadcasting legend best known as the producer of American Bandstand.

Oates, who grew up in suburban Philadelphia, enrolled at Temple to be in the heart of a city that was an incubator of rock and R&B stars. A commuter student, Oates would take the train into the city each day and walk several blocks along North Broad Street to class. Along that walk he passed the Uptown Theater, in its hey-day known as the Apollo Theater of Philly. It was a welcoming venue where a diverse audience was united by their passion for music.

“I saw all of the great R&B talent there,” said Oates. “I learned how to put on a show and what made people excited.”

The Klein Awards will be held in Temple’s Mitten Hall, starting with a reception in the Owl Cove at 11:15 a.m. The awards luncheon, where Williams will serve as guest speaker, will be held in the Great Court at 12:15 p.m. The alumni winners will be honored with documentary profiles about their careers.

In addition to Oates, NBC’s Nightly News Anchor Brian Williams will also be honored. Williams, who early in his career worked at Philadelphia’s WCAU-TV, recently aired an hour-long interview with Edward Snowden, the CIA whistleblower’s first interview on American television. The anchor started his career in Pittsburg, Kansas, in 1981. Since then, he has been honored with 11 Edward R. Murrow awards, 12 Emmy Awards, the DuPont-Columbia University Award, the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, and the George Foster Peabody Award. In 2006, Time magazine named Williams one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Proceeds from the awards support approximately two dozen scholarships for SMC students each year.

Visit site.temple.edu/lkam for details.