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2 <br />hearing at Century Center. Why have they had such a low visibility in South <br />Bend since the mid -July announcement of our selection as the next site of the <br />Hall? <br />Surely NFF officials can't be upset with us over the basic proposal made <br />by the Kernan administration. What more can they ask of the City than what <br />was promised them on pp. 60 and 61 of South Bend's proposal: <br />The entire capital cost of the facility will be <br />financed through the City of South Bend with no <br />expense to the NFFCHF .... The Century Center Board <br />of Managers [read: South Bend taxpayers will be <br />responsible for any operating shortfalls which <br />may arise from the operation of the Hall. <br />To judge from all of the Happy Talk at the July 29 hearing and the South <br />Bend Tribune's euphoric "Touchdown" editorial of July 12, the South Bend - <br />NFF marriage was one which was made in heaven. If the ardor of those lovers <br />was so strong, why has the marriage not been consummated after all these <br />months? <br />The lack of a successful corporate fundraising campaign has to be a big <br />snag in the proceedings. The results of my own campaign to dissuade the <br />forty corporations named in South Bend's proposal from contributing to the <br />Hall show that the corporations are not enthusiastic about a project which <br />has already been a loser. The following corporations have said flat out <br />that they have not been contacted by South Bend officials and will not <br />contribute to the Hall: Ameritech, Cummins Engine, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, <br />U. S. Sprint, and USF&G. Two corporations, Nike and Marriott, mistakenly <br />thought I was asking for money for the Hall and said they would not <br />contribute. (In all fairness, perhaps Mayor Kernan's silver - tongue <br />money- raisers will be more successful with those firms.) Whirlpool told <br />me that it is in the process of rethinking its corporate - giving policy and <br />will defer such requests till Feb. 1993. Coca -Cola and USAir report that they <br />have not been contacted by South Bend's Hall team. <br />My campaign to convince large corporations to "Say 'No' to the CFHF" <br />will be renewed with vigor - -and a couple of bombshells which will give the <br />corporations even more reason for not contributing to a project of dubious <br />social importance. That second mailing will be followed up with phone <br />calls to all corporations who haven't been heard from. Given the large <br />number of firms who told me that they had not been contacted by the <br />South Bend fundraisers, I sometimes wonder if I'm doing more work in this <br />area than my competitors. <br />Let's quickly summarize several reasons for stopping the Hall project at <br />this point by not approving the $3 million sale of bonds. <br />1. The failure of thEWF from 1949 to 1992 to come up with a successful <br />Hall of Fame. <br />2. The failure of the Kernan administration in its corporate fundraising. <br />3. The limited appeal of the Hall: almost entirely just to middle- income- <br />and -above white males <br />