St. Paul — When Sarah Palin wanted to do an early-morning run-through of her speech accepting the vice-presidential nomination on Wednesday, Secret Service agents knocked on David Grill’s hotel-room door at 5:30 a.m.
It’s all part of the job for Mr. Grill, who is an assistant professor of theater design and technology at the State University of New York College at Purchase and is the lighting director at this week’s Republican National Convention here.
While a number of faculty members are attending the Republican gathering as delegates or alternates, others, like Mr. Grill, have critical, behind-the-scenes roles...
