FREEDOM ISN'T FREE (Up with People, 1965)

Up with People, 1965 ^ | Jeff Yarbrough

[mmltdii]

Freedom is a word often heard today, but if you want to keep it there's a price to pay. Each generation got to win it a new, 'cause it's not something handed down to you.

Freedom Isn't Free, Freedom Isn't Free, You've got to pay a price, you've got to sacrafice, For your liberty.

There was a General by the name of George, with a small band of men at Valley Forge, left the comfort of home for cold and ice, They won independence for they paid the price.

Freedom Isn't Free, Freedom Isn't Free You've got to pay a price, you've got to sacrafice, For your liberty.

Music available for the asking.

[Swordmaker]

Were you a national cast member of Up With People?

This was a real blast from the past...

Swordmaker,
Former student at Mackinac College.

[Clemenza]

OK, I'm 26. I have heard of Up With People, but who were they exactly? Were they like EST or something?

[rwfromkansas]

I am 19 and remember attending a show at the high school when I was in late elementary school..perhaps early middle school.

I wonder what happened to them.

[Swordmaker]

Up With People was a movement that was created in 1961 at the Mackinac Island, Michigan, US headquarters of Moral Re-Armament, an international effort to counteract the advances of communism with an outreach preaching tollerance, freedom, education, and individual effort, self-determination and self-improvement. MRA had a membership roster that was quite unbelievable. It included leaders of many nations, industrialists, movie stars, authors, etc. Henry Ford was involved and donated his fully furnished summer home on Mackinac Island to the organization.

Up With People, itself, was formed as a group of between 100 and 150 young people who travelled the world for a year putting on stage shows, singing and dancing to songs with themes based on their goals. Cast members also were enrolled in an educational programs with a heavy emphisis on Political Science, Diplomacy, and world affairs. Patriotic to an American ideal, UWP was totally integrated, and had a strong Judeo-Christian ethical message. Songs such as "Freedom Isn't Free", "What Color is God's Skin?", "Joan of Arc", "You can't live crooked and live straight", and "Sing Out" promoted morality, economic and personal freedom and stressed the requirement of personal responsibility.

Moral Re-Armament split off Up With People as its own organization in 1964 and in addition founded Mackinac College in 1966 using its Mackinac Island facility as the campus. Mackinac College had 100 faculty and 300 students (150 of which were foreign nationals, many the children of presidents, officials, and diplomats). The faculty included two Nobel Laureates, three Olympic Gold Medalists, the first Western musicians to be invited back into China after the Cultural Revolution, a signatory on the United Nations Charter, the Poet Laureate of England, and other educators who had left leadship posts at major universities to be the sole member of a department at Mackinac. The North-Western College Accredation Association (I think that was the name) called it the finest school of higher education they had ever evaluated for accreditation. Mackinac College graduated ONE class before falling victim to some poor management decisions and funding problems.

Up with People grew to include 3 "National" casts, each touring the world with between 100-250 performers between the ages of 17 and 23, hundreds of local "Sing Out" groups, each involving between 50 and 200 young people performing the songs written and arranged by the national cast members as well as some of their own creation.

The organization produced three television specials, put on a concert for over 1,000,000 people in a valley in Italy (Still the largest audience for a live performance in history), PRoduced and performed thousands of Up With People shows in cities around the world, performed at half-time shows for the Super Bowl, produced records, published PACE Magazine (a Life Magazine size news-photo magazine), and appeared in the famous "I'd Like to Teach the World to sing" Coke commercial.

I was involved with "Sing Out Sacramento" which involved 150 teenagers. My parents were among the adult advisors for this group. In 1967, Sing Out Sacramento sponsored a convention of Northern California Sing Out Groups and produced a "Sing Out California" show for the opening night of the newly constructed State Fair, CalExpo. 275 your people put on a show for over 18,000 people. We also sponsored a performance of one of the National Casts in Hughes Stadium in Sacramento that drew over 10,000 people (I can modestly say I, at 18 years of age, was the director of Publicity for these two events ... the other concert sponsor, the Sacramento Union newspaper, gave me an office next to the Publisher's where i used Samuel (Mark Twain) Clemons' desk. My head was considerably swelled...). In 1969 I was asked to join one of the National Casts that was heading to the Soviet Union for a tour... but I had just been accepted a full scholarship to Mackinac College and I decided college was a better choice. I spent my sophomore year at Mackinac before transferring to California State University at Sacramento.

If you have ever seen the Christopher Reeve movie "Somewhere In Time" you have seen part of the Mackinac complex. The theater where Jane Seymour was performing was the college theater.

While I was at Mackinac, I was the movie projectionist and also had charge of the theater building complex which included the world's second largest movie sound stage (15 feature films had been produced by MRA in the Mackinac facility!), a Television studio, and audio recording studio. Remember all those wealthy and powerful people involved with MRA? Many of them had donated items for the "prop department" which was the entire basement of the building about the size of a city block. It was chock full of some of the most amazing things: the thone of an African King, Napoleon's campaign writing table, JFK's second rocking chair, Lafayette's (The one from the Revolutionary War!) tea service, paintings by very well known artists, antique furniture, and one whole wall (about 300 feet long) full of framed letters and commendations signed by some of the most famous people in the world. An autograph collector would have gone completely bonkers, looking at that wall.

The college classrooms buildings, the great hall (built in the shape of a great teepee), and the dormitories are now a hotel. The sound stage is still a sound stage and has an active production company planning a motion picture. The Christopher Reeve movie was made, except for a couple of scenes in Chicago, entirely on Mackinac Island.

In 1970, a change in management at Up With People resulted in the organization denying permission to the local casts to use the copyrighted works and name of Up With People in their local performances. This had the immediate effect of killing the local organizations. It had the long term effect of destroying the organizations primary outreach for both attracting new national cast members AND booking performances. Usually the local group families hosted the national cast members when they performed in that area. Up With People started to dwindle. After 10 years or so, they were down to one national touring cast and were de-emphasizing their message in favor of pop music.

In 1999, Up with People declared bankruptcy. Apparently, they have come out of bankruptcy and are starting new educational programs in partnership with several universities.

[Swordmaker]

To give you an idea of how big the sound stage was...

In one of the movies MRA made, a scene required a night-time take off of an airplane but the weather was not co-operating. So the film crew removed the wings from a Ford Trimotor airplane, moved it inside the sound stage, re-assembled it and taxied it around the floor to get their shot!

The only larger sound stage was MGM's in Hollywood.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

...Fight for FREEDOM-1965 =

.. http://www.LZXRay.com ..

[Jo Nuvark]

OK... who are you people? I was in cast B 1970 to 1972. I was also in a Sing Out. My sister traveled from 1966 to 1969. I've been FReeping for a while, but never thought I'd find any UWP alumni here.

[Swordmaker]

I was a member of Sing Out Sacramento circa 1965 - 68 and turned down a slot on one of the National Casts (they were going to Russia) in favor of a full ride scholarship to Mackinac College (Where Up With People was founded).

[Jo Nuvark]

I was at Mackinac College the summer of '69 for an UWP conference. I went on the road the next year. That is a beautiful compound. We staged our show in Warwick, New York and in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I believe Cast A went to Russia the same year my cast (B) went to Belgium.

It's too bad they wrote off Sing Out. Grass roots is where it all happens. In fact, some FReepers are talking about putting an UWP like show together - one with a real message other than "let's all feel happy - for no particular reason".

Great to find you.

[charter66]

As a member of Mackinac College's Charter Class I have some
serious questions regarding its representation in this posting. Curious as to who were the children of presidents?. The sole diplomat was Dr. Yu-Tan Lew. Who were the Nobel Laureates ; a signatory to the United Nations Charter ; the Poet Laureate of England????
Rusty Weiles was the sole Olympic Gold Medalists.

The accrediting agency was the North Central Association of College and Secondary Schools and the comments was made by
Dr. Earland Carlson, examiner for the accrediting
agency saying “ this is Liberal education with a cutting edge’

A more exact representation for Mackinac College can be found in Wikipedia : The college had troubles relating in part to its association with the Moral Re-Armament/Up With People movement. While the college was ostensibly an independent, non-sectarian institution, many of the founders and faculty were members of MRA. Most students were not aware of the connection until they were on the campus. There was much controversy among the students regarding how MRA was to be involved in the mission of the college. As a result, after graduating its first and only senior class in 1970, the first Mackinac College closed its doors.

[Swordmaker]

Hey, welcome to FreeRepublic!

During the planning session for the Mackinac College Model UN, Dr. Lew showed me a photograph of him signing the UN Charter as a representative for the Republic of China along with others who were at the San Francisco UN Conference on International Organization. Olympic medalists included Rusty Wales (if I recall correctly, that was the spelling, but yours may be correct—it has been way too many years) in rowing, but Jan Brekke and his wife were members of the Norwegian mens’ and women’s gold medal cross-country ski teams in the fifties (remember Jan Brekke and his oily dehydrated cows’ milk?). Dr. Peter Thomas, was named poet Laureate of England one year (I have no idea how important an honor that is, but he had a certificate attesting to that honor hanging on the wall of his office). He also had been personal secretary to JRR Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis’s godson (and occaisional editor), for what those are worth.

In my class, two behind yours, there were reportedly three students who were there incognito who were children of high government officials. One at least was the daughter of a prime minister. Another hinted his father had been president. . . No proof other than their words. . . and hints. .

Did you participate in any of the plays at Mackinac? I was involved in four plays. I played the villain in “Salad Days”, a British Musical farce; the Damned Judge Hathome (of the Salem Witch Trials) in “The Devil and Daniel Webster”; The Moon in “Paddy and the Elephant Child”, and the first dead body in “The Farrell Case.” I also did set designs for several of the plays and manufactured all the fake guns carried by the crooks, cops, and everyone else in “The Farrell Case”, which I think required about 35, or so. . . A lot of fake firepower for a play that lasted only ten minutes.

Did you graduate with the Charter class?

[charter66]

Perhaps I have the wrong history book but Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, as a representative for China, was the first to sign the United Nations Charter on 24 August 1945.

We were both wrong on spelling Rusty’s last name : Wailes

I think you might have confused Jan and Priscilla Brekke (who weren’t married until after the college closed) for Liv and Valdemar Hansten. According to
a reference book : Olympic Game Winners, neither pair is listed as either winners or participating

I did not graduate with the Charter Class…as soon as the letter was received in December of the 3rd year announcing the melding of the college with UWP I had transfer applications on the ready. I was part of the majority (2/3 according to Dr. Martin in his book “Always a Little Further’) who had no knowledge of MRA until arriving in 1966.

[Swordmaker]

Perhaps I have the wrong history book but Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, as a representative for China, was the first to sign the United Nations Charter on 24 August 1945.

Thanks for the correction on Rusty Wailes spelling... That looks right at last. It's amazing what forty-five years can do to our memories.

Chiang Kai-Shek was, but a lot of other diplomats and functionaries from the various countries also signed. I gather all members of the legations for each country were secondary signers. I do know that Dr. Lew showed me a photograph of him signing the United Nations Charter in San Francisco. He was quite proud of it. There were other Chinese officials around him. My vague recollection is that there were about six others there, and Chiang Kai-Shek was in the group.

You may be right on the Brekkes. I never had much interaction with either of them, having succeeded in accidentally dislocating my right knee early in November and thus never having to participate in Jan's cross country ski PE program. My information came second hand from my roommate.

Did you know that you can get a Bachelors degree complete with transcripts from Mackinac College? YUP! It's available online for only $695 (last I saw) and for another $695, the "college" will even send a "certified" copy of your transcripts to a destination of your choosing. Of course the website that provides these has a disclaimer that they are provided for "Entertainment and Amusement Purposes Only!" RIGHT! Sure!

Oh, did I mention for $995 you can upgrade to a Masters degree, and for $1295, you can have a PhD in any subject of your choice? All from Mackinac College. . .

So, did you return to Mackinac after that December letter, or transfer out then? I know some students did not return after that letter was received. The 26 hour marathon meeting of the faculty and students that resulted in a letter to the Board of Trustees expressed an almost unanimous rejection of the merger and demanding a retraction and a return to a regular Liberal Arts curricula. I left at the end of that year, transferring to California State University Sacramento, having done my Sophomore year at Mackinac.

[yellowrose45]

like EST? ouch. What a laugh and a half. Up With People was incredibly reputable and in the era in which it was created had just about the highest quality touring youth singing group the world had ever seen. “Werner Erhard” who created EST is really a man named Jack Brooks who has been hiding out of the nation for decades on account of tax evasion. I used to work for his significant other and was forbidden to ever say anything about her travel plans. EST has morphed into Landmark Education— totally mixed reviews on that one.