Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Recently, Saturday Night Live hosted a special episode to celebrate its 50th anniversary with appearances some of its most famous previous cast members and celebrities, including Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell and more.
The episode also featured actor and producer Tom Hanks, who has appeared on Saturday Night Live numerous times, beginning in 1985, when the show was in its 11th season. During the 50th anniversary special, Hanks was featured in multiple sketches, including one mocking controversial jokes from the show’s past.
While known the world over for his numerous award-winning performances, Hanks has had a decades-long history with Dayton area college Wright State University, despite never being a student or faculty member.
Hanks first came to the college in 1978, where he performed in a production of Shakespeare’s “Two Gentlemen of Verona” as a part of the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival.
Soon after, Hanks moved to New York and met W. Stuart McDowell while auditioning for a play. McDowell would later become chair of Wright State University’s theater department and reconnect with Hanks through a mutual colleague.
This led to the creation of the Tom Hanks Scholarship Fund in 2005, which provides funds for students in Wright State’s Theatre, Dance and Motion Pictures department.
