UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — 2020-21 Penn State Laureate David Witwer talked about his research on corruption, organized crime and labor racketeering at the first event in the 2022 Penn State Forum Speaker Series, held on April 5 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center.
Witwer, professor of American studies in Penn State Harrisburg’s School of Humanities, presented "Jimmy Hoffa, Corruption, and Race Relations in the Teamsters Union." Witwer focused on his book project, “Searching for Jimmy Hoffa,” which traces the history of what is known about International Brotherhood of Teamsters president James R. Hoffa’s disappearance, his involvement with organized crime, and what his career reveals about working-class attitudes towards corruption.
In his lecture, Witwer talked about the transition from David Daniel Beck to Jimmy Hoffa as president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
"So, you’ve pushed a guy out who was 'merely a crook,' as Kennedy (Robert) once said on a talk show, and now we’ve put in a guy who’s actually a threat to the nation," said Witwer. "I would question whether that’s an overstatement. The trick is, Hoffa’s quite different than Beck (the outgoing union president). Beck was kind of a pompous stuffed shirt. Hoffa’s quite different, he’s a dedicated, charismatic union leader. Hoffa was leading his first strike in Detroit when he was 18 years old. By the time he is 22, he’s leading a union local in Detroit. As he once told a reporter from the Saturday Evening Post, it’s not that I haven’t done anything wrong, I know what I’ve done wrong, I’m just hoping they don’t know what it is."
An annual faculty honor established in 2008, the Penn State Laureate is a full-time faculty member in the arts or humanities who is assigned half-time for one academic year to bring greater visibility to the arts, humanities and the University, as well as to his or her own work. In this role, the laureate is a highly visible representative of the University, appearing at events and speaking engagements throughout the commonwealth.
The Penn State Forum series is modeled after the National Press Club Speaker Series, which includes a presentation by an invited speaker, followed by audience questions.
The next event in the spring series will be held on Monday, April 18, featuring Shara McCallum, professor of English in the College of the Liberal Arts, who will present "No Ruined Stone: a Poetry Reading & Conversation."