Past Original Orations
1963
- Thomas LoSavio - Bellarmine Prep., CA - “Intolerance”
- Rosemary Anton - Oskaloosa HS, IA - “Bread with Liberty”
- Howard D. Bryant - Massillon HS, OH - “Which Way the Tide?”
- Jody Baumgaertel - Grossmont HS, CA - “Time: the Life of the Soul”
- Grant Wacker - Springfield-Parkview HS, MO - “Heroes March Alone”
- Jeffrey M. Bowen - Laconia HS, NH - “The Council of Decision”
1964
- David Zarefsky - Houston-Bellaire HS, TX - “Harvest of Hate”
- Jody Baumgaertel - Grossmont HS, CA - “Live”
- James Toren - Worthington HS, MN - “The Second Step”
- Lynna Joseph - Alamo Heights HS, TX - “The Lemon Tree”
1965
- Hubert Farbes - Oklahoma City HS, OK - “The Abstruse Leech”
- Kenneth Glazier - Palo Alto HS, CA - “Before the Black Man Learns to Hate”
- Donna Hossack - Sunnyvale-Fremont HS, CA - “Man a Product of Mechanization:
- Gregory Burke - Houston-Jesuit HS, TX - “The Reakist”
- Jody Baumbaugh - Youngstown-Mooney HS, OH - “Speaking for those Who Cannot Speak for Themselves”
- Vera Sadkovsky - Modesto HS, CA - “The Title Page”
1966
- James Kay - Fullerton HS, CA - “The Call to Relevance”
- Brent Simmons - Battle Creek HS, MI - “They Call Themselves Americans”
- Gail Griffin - Grossmont HS, CA - “Good Ole Charlie Brown”
- Thomas Johnson - Warsaw HS, IN - “Example of Peace”
1967
- Shelley Long - Ft. Wayne South Side HS, IN - “The Sex Perversion Weed”
- Brent Simmons - Battle Creek HS, MI - “The Tragedy of Black”
- Jeff Brown - Grossmont HS, CA - “Relevancy & Change”
- Martha Wasson - Canton-Glenwood HS, OH - “Will You Buy It?”
- Connie Crownover - La Miranda HS, CA - “A Dream or a Nightmare?”
- Lowell K.Y. Chun-Hoon - Punahou HS, HI - “The Limitation of Reason”
1968
- Thomas Taffe - Bellarmine Prep., CA - “A Very Simple Story”
- James Baer - Pomona HS, CA - “Inability of Americans to Love”
- Melissa Maxcy - Houston-Memorial HS, TX - “All Will be Quiet in Jerusalem”
- Gregory Chisholm - Manhattan Prep., NY - “The American Life”
1969
- Gary Ward - Mullen HS, CO - “As Night Falls”
- Richard Mitchell - Richmond-Kennedy HS, CA - “Why Did They Kill Dr. King?”
- Glenn Nelson - Santa Anna Valley HS, CA - “Invisible Man”
- Richard Bright - Aurora HS, CO - “Picture This Scene”
1970
- Patricia Warren - Canton-McKinley HS, OH - “The Guilded Goddess”
- Michael McCormack - Yankton HS, SD - “The Third Revolution”
- Mark Pilliod - Marquette HS, WI - “In Defense of the Cliche”
- Kevin J. O’Brien - Bishop Amat HS, CA - “Unisex”
- William Stotesbery - T. Jefferson HS, PA - “Society’s Sickest Joke”
- Davine Faulks - Fort Knox HS, KY - “School for Crime”
1971
- Lawrence Artenian - Fresno-Hoover HS, CA - “Red, White & Blue Chapter II”
- Charisse Locke - Dallas-Hillcrest HS, TX - “Revolution”
- Peter Syvertsen - Marquette Univ. HS, WI - “Only one Chance”
- David Hayes - Aquinas HS, NY - “Tomorrow is the Beginning”
- Rosalind Kelson - L. A. Gremont HS, CA - “The Old Man & The Prism”
- Davine Faulks - Fort Knox HS, KY - “Black Studies”
1972
- John Patek - Marquette Univ. HS, WI - “The Players are the Losers”
- Bill Mathis - Heritage Hall HS, OK - “Awaken Sheep”
- Lauren Meurisse - Thornridge HS, IL - “The Great Race”
- Mende Snodgress - Heritage Hall HS, OK - “The Winter of Life”
- Dick Deming - Madison HS, SD - “The Hangman”
- Donna Moriel - Oceanside HS, CA - “Listen Christian”
1973
- Robert End - Marquette Univ. HS, WI - “Don’t Play It Again Sam!”
- Thomas Riehle - Marquette Univ. HS, WI - “A Paradox - the Cynical Kid”
- Terr Pollock - Tucson HS, AZ - “The Silent Revolution”
- Steve Webster - Spencer HS, IA - “Omnipresent Irrelevance”
- Harry Davis - Corpus Christi-King HS, TX - “The Banality of Evil”
- Beth Houghton - Heritage Hall HS, OK - “I Am”
1974
- Gary Lillian - Shawnee Mission-West HS, KS - “Community Life”
- Cherry Jones - Paris HS, KY - “Traditional Tommyrot”
- James Wagstaffe - Bellarmine Prep, CA - “Instantism”
- Alfred Kohn - Miami Beach HS, FL - “Transistorizes Man”
- Jeff Thomas - Bellevue-Newport HS, WA - “The Big Con”
- Devra Bailin - Sioux Falls-Washington HS, SD - “The Eyes of the Beholder”
1975
- Ned Wahl - Eau Claire-Memorial HS, WI - “Calypso Bands & Cola Nuts”
- Robert Maus - St. Louis HS, HI - “The Great American Slide”
- Beth Simmons - Sunnyvale-Monta Vista HS, CA - “It’s Hard to be Human”
- Darryl Bowdre - McAlester HS, OK - “The Good Old Days are Now”
- Russell Wood - Clovis HS, CA - “Run, Sam, Run”
- Jon Swindle - Provo HS, UT - “Whose Child is This?”
1976
- George Carpenter IV - Des Moines-Roosevelt HS, IA - “What Have We Done to Debate?”
- Keith Sherman - Beverly Hills HS, CA - “Let’s Not Make a Deal”
- Clark Ervin - Houston-Kinkaid HS, TX - “Promises to Keep”
- Donald Chrzan - Marquette Univ. HS, WI - “Mister, You Must Believe”
1977
- Linda Epperley - Putnam City-West HS, OK - “America’s Magnificent Obsession”
- David Frederick - ''San Antonio-Jefferson HS, OK “Imagination - The Secret of Blue Skies”
- Kim Johnson - Wabash-Southwood HS, IN - “Carnaval”
- Geoff Wool - San Antonio-Jefferson HS, TX - “Big Bad John”
- Michael Sloan - Beverly Hills HS, CA - “Charities: Where is Your Money Going?”
1978
- Mark Boyd - Youngstown-Mooney HS, OH - “The Soap Opera of Life”
- Joseph Casper - Marquette Univ. HS, WI - “Junk Food Junkie”
- Jim McCoy - Eau Claire-Memorial HS, WI - “Making an Honest Buck”
- Debra Morris - Lawton Eisenhower HS, OK - “Those Happy Days”
- Bart Wojciehowski - Brophy Prep., AZ - “Deus Ex Machina”
- Lori Kaomea - Kamehameha HS, HI - “Walk in this Work for Me”
- Susan Schultz - Newton HS, KS - “The Volunteered Child in a Mental Hospital”
1979
- Bruce Menin - Miami Beach HS, FL - “Speak Plainly, Please”
- Jeanette Kuvin - Twin Lakes HS, FL - “Incredible Bulk”
- David Warner - Provo HS, UT - “Fried Eggs & Onion Skins”
- Julie Patterson - Stockton-Edison HS, CA - “The Good Old Days”
- Jim McCoy - Eau Claire-Memorial HS, WI - “In Search of Quality”
- Miki Mason - Putnam City West HS, OK - “Narcissus was Nearsighted”
- Denise Huddle - San Antonio-Churchill HS, TX - “Games-Wars People Play”
1980
- Lee Eric Dowell - Olathe HS, KS - “You Are Somebody”
- Grant Belnap - Bountiful HS, UT - “Losing”
- David Warner - Provo HS, UT - “Truth About Hollywood”
- Henry Samelson - San Antonio-Churchill HS, TX - “The Scarlet O’Hara Syndrome”
1981
- Salise Shuttlesworth - Dulles HS, TX - “The Virtue of Selfishness”
- David Lopez - San Antonio-Churchill HS, TX - “The Rhetoric of No”
- Kyndal May - Newman Smith HS, TX - “Money”
- Jeff Halloin - Eau Claire-Memorial HS, WI - No Title Given
- Todd Adkins - Plano HS, TX - “I’ll See You in Court”
1982
- Ralph Bush - Kansas City-Washington HS, MO - “As the Eagle Flies”
- Anthony Scaduto - Marquette Univ. HS, WI - “Out of Touch with Touch”
- Kevin Smith - North Kansas City HS, MO - “Solitaire”
- James Kincaid - Tulsa-Washington HS, OK - “It’s Not My Fault”
- James Cusick - El Paso-cathedral HS, TX - “The Fame Game”
- June Tierney - Fresno-Hoover HS, CA - “The Tyranny of Time”
- Rob Walther - Perry HS, OH - “Dossier”
1983
- Robert Strain - San Antonio-Roosevelt HS, TX - “By the Work of our Hands”
- Gregory Dohi - Harvard School, CA - “The Ugly Ambassador”
- Kelly Franklin - San Antonio-Churchill HS, TX - “The Thrill of it All”
- David Dillin - San Antonio-Churchill HS, TX - “Mental Mechanisms”
- Rick Pitterle - Eau Claire Memorial HS, WI - “Impersonality”
- Robert Kroll - Marquette Univ. HS, WI - “A Life for all Seasons”
1984
- Ronald Flagg - Houston-Kashmere HS, TX - “The Price of Equality”
- Christi Cunningham - San Antonio-Churchill HS, TX - “The Numbers Game”
- Kennedy Genovese - Chesterton HS, IN - “The E.A.T.”
- Steve Cardenas - North Miami Beach HS, FL - “A Perfect 10 for Just $9..95"
- Jennifer Young - Sylvania-Northview HS, OH - “Will Wonders Never Cease”
- Jim Skeffington - Chesterton HS, IN - “Understand”
- Susan Lee - Sylvania-Northview HS, OH - “The Value of Valuing”
1985
- Gina Davis - Eau Claire Memorial HS, WI - “The Wings of Man”
- Brendan O’Meara - Bronx HS Science, NY - “After All I’ve Done for You”
- Jennifer Young - Sylvania-Northview HS, OH - “Laughing Matters”
- Andy Thornton - San Antonio-Churchill HS, TX - “A Better Looking Dog”
- Joseph M. Wycoff - Chesterton HS, IN - “The Hottest Game in Town”
- Donna Washington - Lawrence Central HS, IN - “The Forgotten Americans”
- Cynthia J. Rich - Nazareth Academy, PA - “Overcoming Shyness”
1986
- Steve Blair - Chesterton HS, IN - “Baby, Remember My Name”
- Pat Blair - Rushville HS, IN - “The Hero Inside/Little Big Man”
- Mark Kelsey - West Des Moines-Valley HS, IA - “I’ll Respect You in the Morning”
- Richard Johnson - Holy Ghost Prep., PA - “Grow Up, Bernard”
- Stephen Schaefer - San Antonio-Churchill HS, TX - “Have You Heard”
- Brigitte Vielliwu - Munster HS, IN - “Value of Silence”
- Jennifer Norten - Downers Grove-South HS, IL - “Market Place for Ethics”
1987
- Joseph M. Wycoff - Chesterton HS, IN - “Who’s Playing the Drum”
- Austin Goolsbee - Milton Academy, MA - “Rite of Passage”
- Mike Green - Bellarmine Prep., CA - “America in the 80's Age of the Goof-Off”
- David Schmader - San Antonio-Churchill HS, TX - “Big Bad Bod and the Other Strangers”
- Thomas Ashley - San Antonio-Churchill HS, TX - “Prejudice with a Halo”
1988
- Darren Haygood - Evansville Reitz HS, IN - “Heroes are Alive and Well”
- Michael Gotch - Chesterton HS, IN - “You’re Going to Hear from Me”
- Joseph M. Wycoff - Chesterton HS, IN - “Don’t Judge the Book by the Cover”
- Kirsten Albrecht - Homewood-Flossmoor HS, IL - “Are You Two Together”
- Deborah Grayson - Stuyvesant HS, NY - A Palmfull of Sweat”
1989
- Michael Gotch - Chesterton HS, IN - “Take Two”
- Eric Pardell - Munster HS, IN - “A Step in the Right Direction”
- Leigh Baker - Murray HS, KY - “Run for the Roses”
- Julie Nelson - Eau Claire Memorial HS, WI - “Trivialization”
- Kendall Cummings - Marquette Univ. HS, WI - “So Who’s Socrates?”
- Derric Hudson - Marquette Univ. HS, WI - “A Ripple of Hope”
1990
- Graham J. Baird - Salt Lake City-East HS, UT - “Passing the Buck”
- Christopher White - Holy Ghost Prep., PA - “Anything Goes”
- Michael Ryan - Bishop McGuiness HS, OK - “The Cat in the Addage”
- Kelly Slater - Chesterton HS, IN - “The Real Thing”
- Brian Eanes - San Antonio-Churchill HS, TX - “Will Rest You Get Noise”
- Leigh Baker - Murray HS, KY - “Service to Others”
1991
- Chris Shieh - Clear Lake HS, TX - “Regarding Race-Colored Glasses”
- John C. Paul - LaSalle College HS, PA - “No Reason to Live”
- Matthew Costello - Holy Ghost Prep., PA - “Civility”
- Jennifer Kober - Barbe HS, LA - “Fat Chance”
- Michael Hahn - Evansville-Reitz HS, IN - “Image”
- Matthew Vogel - San Antonio Churchill HS, TX - “The Weird Side of Strange”
1992
- Colin Stokes - San Antonio-Churchill HS, TX - “Confessions of an Answer Patient”
- Seth Halvorson - Apple Valley HS, MN - “On Our Honor”
- Anton Ford - Bellarmine Prep., CA - “The Elephant Child”
- Catharine Dommer - Chesterton HS, IN - “As Time Goes By”
- Corey Miller - Glenbrook-South HS, IL - “P.O. Box 1"
- Greg Borden - Maconaquah HS, IN - “Create a Miracle’ Surprise that Resides Insides”
1993
- Anton Ford - Bellarmine College Prep., CA - “Find Out”
- Elizabeth Reiley - Apple Valley HS, MN - “Deal With It”
- Karen Cooper - Gregory-Portland HS, TX - “The Oreo Cookie Complex”
- Catharine Dommer - Chesterton HS, IN - “A Very Special Interest”
- Ben Ptak - Long Branch HS, NJ - “It Bothers You-Please Leave the Room”
- Suzie Kim - Apple Valley HS, MN - “The Emperor’s New Clothes”
1994
- Anton Ford - Bellarmine College Prep., CA - Title Missing
- Suzie Kim - Apple Valley HS, MN - “Beauty Within the Beast”
- Gabriel Bevilacqua - La Salle College, PA - “The Man, The Bench, and The Burger Joint”
- Ingrid Carson - Chesterton HS, IN - “The Hallmark Generation”
- Joey Hill - Southside HS, SC - “America’s Teen Dilemma-Reconstruct, Redefine”
1995
- Sally Koering - Apple Valley HS, MN - “Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts”
- Brian Roberts - Apple Valley HS, MN - “Astronomy”
- David Bowens - Dallas-Skyline HS, TX - “Tales of an Ex-Convict”
- Joseph Jones - Holy Ghost Prep., PA - “America’s Good Old Games”
- Michelle Brown - Austin HS, MN - “Walk the Walk”
1996
- Reah Johnson - Albuquerque Academy, NM - “Boobus Americanus”
- Rob Lindgren - Apple Valley HS, MN - “Mickey’s World”
- Metra Gilliard - Thornridge HS, IL - “Blame the Man”
- Joseph Jones - Holy Ghost Prep, PA - “Just like Grandma Used to Make”
- Kelly Cooper - The Kinkaid School, TX - “Misplaced History”
- Elizabeth Brinton - Salt Lake City-Skyline HS, UT - “And for Ten Minutes...”
1997
- John Parker - Evansville-Reitz , IN - “Do Over”
- Andrew Wesbecher - Flint Hill HS, VA - “Unbuttoned”
- Matthew Harris - Stockton-Edison HS, CA - “Talk Shows”
- Stephen Spruiell - Martin HS, TX - “Let’s Close the Balcony”
- Aimee Gonzalez - San Antonio-Churchill HS, TX - “Whatever a man Undertaketh”
- Jennifer Sobie - University HS, FL - “Candle in the Wind”
1998
- Josh Gad - University School, FL - “Punch Line”
- A.J. Agcaoili - Bellarmine College Prep., CA - “Remember Me”
- Jamie Tschida - Rosemount Sr. HS, MN - “Once Upon a Time”
- Andrew Weshbecher - Flint Hills HS, VA - “Our Own Story”
- Chris Marianetti - Albuquerque Academy, NM - “Uncommon Sense”
- Danny Lutman - San Antonio-Churchill HS, TX - “The Road to Wellville”
1999
- Josh Gad - University School, FL - “Hoo-Ah!”
- Stephen Buettler - Holy Ghost Prep., PA - “As Real as it Gets”
- Jared Wiess - South Plantation HS, FL - “Whatever”
- Nina Bilmoria - Munster HS, IN - “Luxry Fever”
- Gave Rosenberg - Brebeuf Jesuit HS, IN - “Living the Fat Life”
- Jon Gandomi - Dobson HS, AZ - (Untitled)
2000
- Jared Wiess - South Plantation HS, FL - “Ughh!”
- Ryan Lindberg - Apple Valley HS, MN - (Untitled)
- Suzanne Whisler - Bolivar R-1 HS, MO - (Untitled)
- Andrew Defeo - Iona Prep School, NY - “In Other Words”
- Kelly Rolf - Fort Wayne-Northrop HS, IN - “On My Own”
- Nina Bilimoria - Munster HS, IN - “Lightening Bugs? What Lightning Bugs?”
2001
- Yasmine Mashhoon - Albuquerque Acad, NM - “Jock Rash, The Rock, and Fuzzy Mirrors”
- Megan Bartle - Apple Valley HS, MN - “Victorian’s Secret”
- John Egan - Eagan HS, MN - “The Old Ball Game”
- John P. Benitez - Chesterton HS, IN - “An Experiment in Faith”
- Peter Dodd - Sacred Heart HS, MA - “The Bert & Ernie Scandal”
- Katie Georgen - Plymouth HS, IN - “The First Time”
2002
- Katie Georgen - Plymouth HS, IN - “Go For The Gold”
- Emily Simones - Apple Valley HS, MN - “For The Birds”
- Diane Alongi - Albuquerque Academy, NM - “The Fourth String”
- Tim Webb - Munster HS, IN - “Lessons From A Plastic Woman”
- Tin-Yun Ho - Bellarmine College Prep, CA - “2 At a Time”
- Robert Sublett - Bishop HS, TX - “A Whole ‘Cool’ World”
2003
- Lydia Nelson - Sacred Heart HS, MA - “A League of My Own”
- Sarah H. Lee - Glenbrook South HS, IL - “Me Talk Good”
- Sarah Gauche - Apple Valley HS, MN - “Kidstuff”
- Kobi Libbi - Snider HS, IN - “Spin Cycle”
- Ashley Mack - Red Mountain HS, AZ - “The Shocker”
- Sarah Newton - Rowan County Sr HS, KY - “A Farewell Address to Mrs. Somebody”
2004
- Elizabeth M. Fox - Chesterton HS, IN - “Counterfeit Curls”
- Saeed Jones - Lewisville HS, TX - “Dirty Dancing”
- Ben Unanaowo - James Logan HS, CA - “The Major Instinct”
- Maggie M. Killacky - Downers Grove South HS, IL - “Good Grief”
- Sarah Gauche - Apple Valley HS, MN - “Medicine Man”
- Scott Chaloff - Milton Academy, MA - “Something to Platz About”
2005
- Laura Roehl - Apple Valley HS, MN - “Bill Buckner Would Approve:
- Daniel D. Carissimi - Carroll HS, TX - “A History All Its Own”
- Isaac Maddow-Zimet - Stuyvesant HS, NY - “Oy! The Story Of A. Cultural Banana”
- Clifford Tsang - Gabrielino HS, CA - “Yao”
- Shruti Challa - Topeka HS, KS - “Absolutely Perfect”
- Eddie Itkin - Glenbrook South HS, IL - “Lessons Learned from the Bottom of My Mother’s Underwear Drawer”
2006
- Sarah Koch - Apple Valley HS, MN - “Guess What?”
- Nicole Kreisberg - Winston Churchill HS, TX - “Watch Your Slang”
- Samantha Moore - McDowell HS, PA - “Baking with a Smile”
- Marie Agnello - Brookwood HS, GA - “The 16th Minute”
- Jeff White - Mitchell HS, SD - “The Sound Byte Culture”
- Anthony Francomacaro - Holy Ghost Prep, PA - “Our Makeover Society”
2007
- Anthony Francomacaro - Holy Ghost Prep, PA - “Make Real”
- Olusheun Olupitan - Apple Valley HS, MN - “Tolerance – The Freakin’ Truth”
- Efren Bonner - Kent Denver HS, CO - “Abadeem and the Mathletes”
- Carrie Van Dusen - Apple Valley HS, CO - “Once Upon a Time”
- Josh Leskar - Nova HS, FL - No title listed
- John Allen - Danville HS, KY - “J.P. Allen: Boy of Destiny”
2008
- Hoang Nguyen - Plano Sr. HS, TX - “Tomboys and Tomgirls?”
- Jamaka Young - Apple Valley HS, MN - “The Gospel Truth”
- Zach Beattie - Savannah R3 HS, MO - “Bust a Move”
- Alexandria Tippings - Schurr HS, CA - “2 and a ½ Feet”
- Tina Nguyen - Gabrielino HS, CA - “The Student Handbook”
- Katherine Smith - Pembroke Hill School, MO - “It’s (Not) All About Me”
2009
- John Hofmeister- Apple Valley HS, MN - “Jack and Harvey”
- Morgan Booksh- McNeil HS, TX - “/n0nV3rbl comUnKshun.lolz:P”
- Alphonce Mshomba- Holy Ghost Prep, PA - "I Have A Question”
- Alexandra Elam- Plano Sr. HS, TX - “Woe be Unto Yo Soul”
- Joe Thomas- Eagan HS, MN - “Finding the I in Team”
- Rory Squire- Madison County HS, VA - “Uncle Maxim Digs Dead Animals”