David Letterman returns to Ball State

You just know he did this for his mom. David Letterman's appearance on the campus of his alma mater Ball State University was big news in Muncie, Ind. today. He was there to attend the dedication of the school's new $21 million communications building, which is named after its famous alumnus.(Click here for Ball State's coverage)

As the pics on the (Muncie) Star Press website make clear, the normally press- and publicity-averse Letterman endured all the big to-do because it made his mom, Dorothy Mengering, proud. And given the fact that she's been a contributor to his latenight shows over the years (he sent her to cover the winter Olympics in Nagano, fer chrissakes) TV shows over the years, it's the least he could do.

Here's the Star Press' take on Friday's dedication ceremony ("If reasonable people can put my name on a $21 million building, anything is possible," Letterman observed to the SRO crowd, per the paper), but even more amusing is the paper's set-up story detailing all of the preparations and anticipation for this state visit from a beloved native son. It was covered live by local TV outlets and streamed live on the school's website.

(Full disclosure: Pic above was filched from the Ball State website.)