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Imagine having the chance to hear, in person, the thoughts and opinions
of the former prime ministers of two global hot spots—Benjamin Netanyahu
of Israel and Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan. Ticket-holders to the
2002-2003 St. Louis Speakers Series will have that unique opportunity.
Now in its fifth year, the St. Louis Speakers Series offers St.
Louisans a unique night out, says series president Bill Conrow.
“Generally you think of people going out for an evening of music,
theater or dance. But when you attend the St. Louis Speakers Series,
instead of listening to a symphony, you listen to ideas and concepts,”
he says.
Maryville University will once again be the presenting sponsor of
the series, for the fourth year. Dr. Keith Lovin, Maryville president,
explains the relationship is “perfect for Maryville. The association
with the series connects us with something that is clearly central
to our mission as an educational institution and as providing a
service to the larger metro area.”
Larry Williamson, vice president for Institutional Advancement at
Maryville, adds, “The quality of the speakers who come through this
series represents the larger discussions going on in the world,
in St. Louis and at Maryville. We want to be identified with that
level of expertise and the marketplace of ideas.”
KMOX Radio, the RCGA and St. Louis Commerce Magazine have
been sponsors since the series began in 1998. American Equity Mortgage
returns also as a key sponsor. KMOX Operations Manager Tom Langmyer
believes talk radio listeners in general and KMOX listeners in particular
“have great interest in hearing in-depth discussion on a variety
of subjects.” He notes, “In a world where people are bombarded with
sound bites and many perspectives given on stories, it is refreshing
to hear these people speak in-context, without being clipped into
neat five second clips.”
The Thursday night events, held October through April at Powell
Hall, include a one-hour talk followed by a 30-minute question-and-answer
period. Past speakers include an impressive who’s who of politics,
the arts, journalism and more—Mikhail Gorbachev and Margaret Thatcher,
Ralph Nader and Mario Cuomo, Walter Cronkite and Mike Wallace, Colin
Powell and Henry Kissinger, Beverly Sills and Erin Brockovich, plus
Frank McCourt, Tom Wolfe, George Stephanopoulos, and F. W. deKlerk,
to name just a few.
Conrow notes, “After every lecture I hear people say, ‘That was
the best yet!’” He’s likely to hear that after every talk this year,
because, in addition to Netanyahu and Bhutto, the lineup includes
journalist Jeff Greenfield, filmmaker Ken Burns, National Public
Radio’s “Fresh Air” host Terry Gross, former Interior Secretary
Bruce Babbitt and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General
Hugh Shelton.
“Given everything going on in the Middle East, and his own political
ambitions, booking Netanyahu as the kickoff speaker was extraordinary
timing,” Lovin says. He’s also looking forward to hearing Benazir
Bhutto. “I’ve learned more about Afghanistan and Pakistan in the
last year than my whole life before and she’ll have marvelous insight,”
he says.
Robert Cohn, editor of the St. Louis Jewish Light, also is
eager to hear Netanyahu and Bhutto. “Netanyahu, since the retirement
of Abba Eban, is the most articulate spokesman for Israel,” he says.
“And it’s also so timely to have Benazir Bhutto speak, since she
was a woman prime minister in a state that adopted Islam extremism.”
Lovin says he’s also looking forward to hearing Hugh Shelton (“He
was chairman of the Joint Chiefs on Sept. 11 and will have fascinating
stories to tell”) and Bruce Babbitt (“Like him, I’m an avid, hopelessly
addicted fly fisherman”).
All the speakers, past and upcoming, share an important trait, Conrow
says. “They are all so nice! They have no egos. Their idea of high
maintenance is asking for a glass of water.” They’re also all great
storytellers and “very funny, even when they’re talking about serious
subjects,” he adds.
“They’re people you read about in the tabloids and the New York
Times, but when you get to see them up close and personal, they’re
just people like you and me,” Cohn says. “I think that’s the main
thing the St. Louis Speakers Series accomplishes. It makes these
larger-than-life people life size.”
Pam Droog is a frequent contributor to St. Louis Commerce Magazine.
| Tickets
to the 2002-2003 St. Louis Speakers Series are sold by series
subscription only at $239 for open seating, $345 for reserved
seats. For more information, call 314/533-7888, or order online
at www.stlouisspeakersseries.org. RCGA members receive a discount.
Call John Diefenbach at 314/444-1184. |
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