Hollywood legend Charlton Heston and explorer Victoria Riches will be speaking at Saint Louis University as part of this year’s Great Issues speaker series.
Riches, a member of the first all-female expedition to the North Pole, will be speaking tonight at 7 p.m. in the T.A. Carlo Auditorium in Tegeler Hall.
Heston, also known for his activities as president of the National Rifle Association, will be speaking on Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 7:30 in the St. Louis Room in the Busch Memorial Center.
Derek Goewert, chair of the Great Issues committee, described the process by which speakers are chosen for the school year.
The committee, comprised of 10 students, the committee chair and five ex-officio members, begins by developing a list of possible speakers.
“We brainstorm about what topics we would like to see addressed in the upcoming school year,” Goewert said.
“For example, this year we wanted a speaker for the Y2K problem. We also are having someone next February to present an economic topic.”
After searching through catalogs listing speakers at local and national levels, the committee determines which speakers would suitably fit the topics chosen.
The committee then contacts the speakers’ agencies and gives a list of preferable dates throughout the school year.
Goewert said that sometimes the speakers are contacted by other means, such as through a committee member who has personal connections to potential speakers. Otherwise, the committee works with the agencies to determine which speakers are available.
Local as well as national names are chosen for the speaker series. “Local speakers are cheaper, obviously, and help draw local interest,” Goewert said.
The series has already featured motivational speaker Ron Freeman on Oct. 21 as part of the Make A Difference Day effort.
Goewert said that the selection process, designed in March 1999, has worked out so far in spite of cancellations and other minor frustrations. “We’re thoroughly excited. I think it’ll be one of our best years,” Goewert said. “It will be rewarding to finally see the culmination of many months of work to bring Heston to the SLU campus. This will be another successful event for the Great Issues committee.”
According to Goewert, Heston will not be addressing his role as NRA president. Heston, who originally hails from Evanston, Ill., is perhaps known best for his roles as Colonel George Taylor in Planet of the Apes (1968), Judah Ben Hur in Ben Hur (1959) and Moses in Ten Commandments (1956). Heston has appeared in over 100 movies, directed several films, served as writer filmographer for one film and has made guest appearances on TV shows since the late 1940s.
“With so many cultural changes in recent years, it will be interesting to hear Heston’s perspective on the state of the American society,” said Great Issues committee member Amy Smith.
