Wilson recalls a 1990 debate between Democrat Bill Orton and Republican Karl Snow in the contentious 3rd congressional district race. In his closing remarks, Orton said something like: "And I won't bring up the stock fraud claims against my opponent," Wilson said. Snow then jumped up and Wilson found himself standing between two men shouting at each other. "It was as close to punch-throwing as we had."

Another time, U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, as Judiciary Committee chairman, was holding up a President Clinton appointment of an Asian-American to a top Justice Department post. Hatch came to speak at the institute, and local Asians "were crazy-mad" at Hatch's actions, so they had signs and protesters in the caucus room. It's tradition that speakers talk and then take questions, but after "a long speech, Hatch said he was going to play some of the songs he'd composed," Wilson said. "An aide put on a boom-box and some hokey music played until the Asian protesters just walked out in disgust — an interesting filibuster by the senator."

Williams recalls that former Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who lost a bitter presidential election to Richard Nixon in 1968, came in 1970.

"It was our rule that speakers stayed in a dorm room, and I drove the vice president up to Carlson Hall. I later went back and there was Humphrey, in the lounge surrounded by about 30 coeds, talking with them. That is exactly what Bob Hinckley had in mind — make politicians accessible to students."

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Directors of the Hinckley Institute of Politics

J.D. Williams 1965-1975

R.J. Snow 1975-1985

Ted Wilson 1985-2003

Kirk Jowers 2005-present

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E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com