To Sites, Gorbachev's legacy is history everyone should know.

"To be a good citizen of one county, city or state, you should make an effort to understand what's been going on in the world for the past 50 years - I would prefer 500," Sites said as he visited Union University on Thursday. "Gorbachev will go down as a great man in history. He changed the world."

Sites spoke at Union in advance of Gorbachev's visit next week. Gorbachev will speak on the demise of the Soviet Union and his loss of power at Union's fourth annual Scholarship Banquet on Tuesday. Nearly 500 student tickets have been given out.

"I'm really excited," said junior Sarah Jackson, who is majoring in history. "It's amazing that somebody of that caliber will be in Jackson, Tennessee."

Sites, who's been to Russia or the Soviet Union more than 50 times, spoke Thursday afternoon on Gorbachev's years in power. He later lectured on the current influence of American pop culture in Russia.

Gorbachev, born in 1931, had a typical background, experiencing the worst of Stalinist Russia but still believing in Communism, Sites told the 75-plus students. Gorbachev rose to power quickly, achieving the top office - first secretary of the Communist Party - in 1985.

At that time, corruption and inefficiency marred politics and economics, Sites said. Artistic censorship and bans on imported books and movies stifled creativity. However, no one was homeless, and subsidies provided free or cheap education, medicine, food and transportation, Sites added.

Gorbachev was one of few leaders who saw "a glimmer of the need to reform," Sites said. His most successful reforms were in foreign policy and "glasnost" - openness in public discourse, Sites said. Although glasnost was meant to only give the press and artists freedom to support Gorbachev's ideas, he didn't squelch a resulting "hurricane" of free speech, Sites said.

"Foreigners who were picking up Russian newspapers almost fainted, myself included," Sites said. "To see this kind of explosion of popular creativity and freedom was astonishing."

Former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev will speak at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday at the Jackson Civic Center. Balcony seats are on sale at Union University for $25 a person. Call 661-5050 for more information.