One month ago, very few people outside of Harrisburg knew who Bill Cluck was. However, when Trustee Ken Frazier made a racially insensitive remark to Cluck at a Board Committee hearing, he became a folk hero among alumni who were enraged at the Trustees’ actions over the past year and a half.

For Cluck, a lawyer and a 1982 Penn State graduate, the recent exposure has elevated his campaign for an alumni seat on the Board of Trustees. In fact, his recent fame attracted the first celebrity endorsement in the race.

Valerie Plame Wilson, a former CIA officer and Penn State alumna, endorsed Cluck for Trustee earlier in the week. Plame Wilson became the focus of a Washington controversy when Dick Cheney’s aide, Scooter Libby, leaked her clandestine position to the Washington Post. Since then, Wilson has since become a novelist and was the Penn State Homecoming Grand Marshal in 2009.

The following statement from Plame Wilson appears Cluck’s Facebook page:

I support Bill Cluck for Penn State Trustee. Bill was President of Undergraduate Student Government when I was a student. He led a national effort to oppose reductions in federal student aid. I got to know him personally after he graduated when he was investigating toxic contamination in Lock Haven. He has always advocated for the public good and does not back down from powerful opponents. The recent unfortunate episode with Trustee Ken Frazier is yet another example of his willingness to speak truth to power. When I was undergoing public exposure after the White House outed my job with the CIA, I told my twins that they should never let the bullies win. Vote for Bill Cluck! Don’t let the bullies win.

Valerie Plame Wilson
PSU Class of 1985