Distinguished Speaker Series
NOTICE: McKendree University and the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts holds the health and
safety of its students, community and patrons as a first priority. Acting in accordance
with best practices and new guidelines and recommendations issued by Gov. J.B. Pritzker
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding public gatherings and
community events, all events and performances (internal, hosted or rented) scheduled
at the Hett through April 15, 2020, have been cancelled or rescheduled, effectively
immediately. These events include Shakespeare Festival St. Louis “Cymbeline” (March
16), Young People’s Concert (March 19), TAO DRUM (March 24), The ReMINDers (April
6), and speaker, Ishmael Beah (April 15).
The Hett Box Office will be contacting all paid ticket holders via email with directions
how to exchange their tickets or receive a credit. Thank you for your patience as
we work through this process.
Dynamic events. Fascinating people. Captivating stories.
Compelling speakers from National Geographic Live are sponsored by the George E. McCammon Memorial Distinguished Speaker Series.
The George E. McCammon Memorial Distinguished Speaker Series challenges students to
examine key issues facing our society and apply the tools of their liberal arts curriculum
as they search for truth and enlightenment.
In 1998, Class of 1925 alumnus George A. McCammon established the George E. McCammon
Memorial Distinguished Speaker Series at McKendree with an endowed gift in honor of
his father, Dr. George E. McCammon. Dr. McCammon served as a Methodist minister for
18 years before he became president of McKendree College in 1919.
Like his father, Mr. McCammon believed that significant learning is not limited to
the classroom. With this gift to McKendree in his father’s honor, he created a forum
for the exchange of ideas that occurs outside the classroom.
Kenny Broad, Diver & Environmental Anthropologist
Extreme Cave Diving: Exploring the Bahamas’ Blue Holes
Monday, October 14, 2019, @ 7:30 p.m.
Kenny Broad, National Geographic’s Explorer of the Year for 2011, is also an accomplished cave
explorer. He pursues this extreme and dangerous occupation not for sport, but to gain
valuable insights into the freshwater world beneath our feet. A witty and entertaining
speaker and committed scientist, Broad uses his research to study climate change and
groundwater pollution to help better manage freshwater resources.
Largely unexplored, unimaginably beautiful, and considered among the most hazardous
places to dive, the flooded caves, or “blue holes” of the Bahamas, are a potential
treasure trove of scientific knowledge. Broad leads scientific expeditions to these
dangerous but fascinating environments, making discoveries with implications for fields
as diverse as microbiology, archaeology, and even astrophysics.
Brian Skerry, Underwater Photographer: Ocean Soul
Wednesday, February 26, 2020, @ 7:30 p.m.
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National Geographic Photography Fellow
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Regular contributor at the World Economic Forum, TED, and the Royal Geographical Society in London
Wildlife photographer Brian Skerry has spent more than four decades exploring the world’s oceans—capturing “the soul
of the sea” for National Geographic for more than 20 years. His images celebrate the
mystery of the depths and offer portraits of creatures so intimate they sometimes
appear to have been shot in a studio. Skerry dives eight months of the year, often
in extreme conditions beneath Arctic ice or in predator-infested waters, and has even
lived at the bottom of the sea to get close to his subjects.
His book, Ocean Soul, is a stunning tribute to our seas. Go beyond its pages to journey
with him from the glacial waters of the North Atlantic, where harp seals face the
threat of declining sea ice, to the balmy waters of Australia, home of the fastest
shark in the world—the mako. He’ll share a fascinating look at some of the oceans’
apex predators, as well as stories of hope from marine reserves where wildlife is
protected and thriving. A passionate spokesman for the oceans he loves to photograph,
Skerry inspires reverence for the marine realm and powerful motivation to protect
it.
Interests: Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry
Ishmael Beah, Human Rights Activist and Writer - RESCHEDULED
Wednesday, April 15, 2020, @ 7:30 p.m.
This event has been RESCHEDULED for the 20-21 McKendree Presents season. All current ticket holders will be contacted by the box office about their
ticket disposition options.
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UNICEF Ambassador and Advocate for Children Affected by War
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Human Rights Watch Children’s Advisory Committee member
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Author of A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier; and Radiance of Tomorrow
Ishmael Beah wants to put a human face on the suffering of children forced to go to war. In 1991,
at the outbreak of a brutal civil war in Sierra Leone, West Africa, his parents and
two brothers were killed and he was forcibly recruited to become a soldier at age
13. After two years, with UNICEF help, he was removed from the army and placed in
a rehabilitation home.
At the 1996 United Nations presentation of the Machel Report on the Impact of Armed
Conflict on Children, Beah spoke about the devastating effects of war on children
in his country. At the 2000 UN Special Session on Children, he served on the panel,
“Reclaiming Our Children: The UN Responds to the Plight of the Child Soldier,” with
then-Secretary General Kofi Annan and UN agency officials. Today, as a human rights
activist and author, he continues his advocacy for thousands of children trapped in
wars.
McKendree University hosts an on-campus Model United Nations conference for local
high schools. Currently 15 schools and over 300 students attend this conference each
semester. McKendree has hosted this conference for over 40 years - it is one of the
longest-running Model UN conferences in the country!
Interests: Political Science, Communication, International Studies, Sociology, Ethnic
Studies, Philosophy, Psychology, English
