9/30/99
Editors, news directors: Photos of Buckley, Elders and Pinsky may
be downloaded from the Web at
http://www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/buckley.jpg;
http://www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/elders.jpg; and
http://www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/pinsky.jpg
Contact: Richard Polen, (740) 593-4300
ATHENS, Ohio -- This year's lineup of Kennedy Lecture Series speakers features a renowned newspaper columnist, a former U.S. surgeon general and the U.S. poet laureate.
Syndicated columnist William F. Buckley Jr. leads the series with a talk at 8 p.m. Oct. 5 in Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium. Buckley's lecture topic will be "Reflections on Current Contentions."
Buckley is an author, adviser, politician, writer, philosopher and television host. He is well-known for his syndicated column "On the Right," which he began writing in 1962. Today, it appears in more than 300 newspapers throughout the world. He also hosts the weekly television show "Firing Line," which debuted in 1966. The longest-running television program in the U.S. featuring the same host, "Firing Line" guests have included Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush.
Buckley's most recent books include "Brothers No More," "Buckley: The Right Word," "My God: An Autobiography of Faith" and "The Red Hunter," a book about Joseph McCarthy. While on campus, Buckley also will participate in a question-and-answer session with Honors Tutorial College students.
"William Buckley is an excellent choice for our opening speaker," said Richard Polen, coordinator of the lecture series. "His popularity as a television personality combined with his political persona should make for an interesting and exciting evening."
Former U.S. Surgeon General M. Joycelyn Elders will speak on "Health Care in the 21 Century" at 8 p.m. Feb. 9. When Elders was sworn in as surgeon general in 1993, she became the first African-American woman to hold that post. Now a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Arkansas School of Medicine, Elders advocates educating the public about violence, sexually transmitted diseases and substance abuse.
Robert Pinsky, the 39th poet laureate of the United States, will speak at 8 p.m. April 11 on "The Sounds of Poetry." Poetry editor of the online journal Slate and a contributor to "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" on PBS, Pinsky teaches in the graduate writing program at Boston University. He has won numerous writing awards, and his work has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in poetry.
The Kennedy Lecture Series brings to Ohio University nationally recognized speakers who appeal to a cross-section of the community and stimulate thought on major public issues, cultural affairs and scholarly fields.
"William Buckley, Jocelyn Elders and Robert Pinsky are three very diverse speakers who we hope will draw good crowds of students, faculty, staff and members of the local community," Polen said.
All events are free and open to the public.
