Thomas Hargrove, alumnus of Iowa State who was held captive by the Revolutionary Armed Forces in Colombia for nearly a year, will be here for the Veishea 1996 weekend to be one of the grand marshals of the parade and a speaker for opening ceremonies.

Opening ceremonies will be held south of the Campanile at noon on Friday. Hargrove’s speech is titled, “Return from the Valley of the Shadow,” and will focus on his time in captivity.

When Hargrove was captured in September of 1994, he was working with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) to improve the technology of Colombia’s poorest farmers.

Hargrove graduated from ISU with a master’s degree in agriculture journalism in 1968 and a doctorate degree in agriculture education in 1977.

After being released, Hargrove’s diary of his time in captivity was turned into the book titled, Long March to Freedom.

“[The book] is my diary exactly how it was written, unedited,” Hargrove said. “I haven’t even read it yet.”

The book was published in November of 1995, only three months after his release from Colombia.

Before and after opening ceremonies, Hargrove will be signing his books, Long March to Freedom and A Dragon Lives Forever, which is based on his experiences in the Vietnam War.

The Veishea 1996 committee chose Hargrove as a special guest because it thought he would be a good representative for the theme of Veishea 1996, “Continuing Iowa’s Heritage.”

“We wanted to find someone who was a well known Iowan,” said Shellee Novotny, Veishea general co-chair. “We were lucky enough to find someone who represents ISU in such a spectacular way.”

Hargrove, who is excited to come back to the university, said he has high praise for ISU and fond memories of his friends and colleagues at the university.

“Only a few universities offer the combination of science and journalism. I believe in this type of education, and ISU gave me those credentials,” Hargrove said.

“I am looking most forward to seeing old friends and the people who have done a lot for me. I have a lot of mentors at ISU.”

The ISU journalism department will hold a reception for him on Friday and many journalism faculty are looking forward to his arrival.

Hargrove represents the goals and values taught at ISU, said Bill Gillette, journalism professor and a friend of Hargrove.

Although both graduated from ISU, Gillette met Hargrove for the first time in the Philippines nearly 20 years ago. At the time, Hargrove was doing research for the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos. Gillette was writing a story about the world food problem.

“[Kidnapping] is not uncommon in Colombia,” Gillette said. However, because Hargrove was working to improve agriculture in Colombia, it was strange he was kidnapped and held captive, Gillette said.

But Gillette said Hargrove is a strong individual, and he knew Hargrove would survive.

“I thought if anyone would survive this ordeal it would be Tom,” Gillette said. Hargrove was a Green Beret in the Vietnam War. “Tom did survive. He was able to retain his sanity.”

Gillette added that Hargrove represents ISU’s commitment to helping others from an agricultural standpoint.