Civil Rights Figure Launches Centennial Lecture Series

TAHLEQUAH Thunderous applause greeted Elizabeth Eckford as she took the stage of the packed auditorium in the Northeastern State University NET Auditorium on Saturday, Sept. 13 to deliver the first in a series of Centennial Lectureships.

At the age of 15, Elizabeth Eckford was one of nine students to desegregate Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The iconic photo of Eckford as she walks through a hate-filled mob as the first member of the Little Rock Nice to reach the school that day showcases the struggle for civil rights in America.

Elizabeth Eckford went through a struggle that so some extent she still lives with, said Amy Aldridge Sanford, chair of the Cenntennial Lectureship Committee. The message that she shares applies to all groups, we can all relate to it in some way. She encourages people. Anyone can share that message, but its so much more effective coming from her.

For a recap of Eckfords speech, follow these links to coverage of the event:

Eckfords speech was presented by the Centennial Lectureship Committee in conjunction with the Oklahoma Speech Theatre Communication Association (OSTCA) and the Tahlequah branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

NSU and the Tahlequah community welcomed Eckford with open arms during her visit to the community. During a private luncheon hosted by the OSTCA, Joyce Rose presented Eckford with a certificate of appreciation from the Cherokee County Federated Womens Democrat Club, Tahlequah Police Chief Steve Farmer personally welcomed Eckford to the city, and State Rep. Mike Brown presented Eckford with a citation from the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Following the lecture, Sara Brown presented Eckford with several books on behalf of the members of AAUW, NSU students Tony Maxville Jr. and Keejuan Wynn Colbert read a citation from NSU President Don Betz, and Tahlequah City Councilor JoAnn Bradley offered Eckford a certificate of appreciation from Tahlequah Mayor Ken Purdy and the citizens of Tahlequah.

Two additional lectureships are planned as part of the NSU Centennial Countdown and Centennial Celebration. Noted author Mark I. Pinsky, of Maitland, Fla., and ESPN analyist and former University of Miami head football coach Larry Coker, of Fort Myers, Fla., are both slated to deliver Centennial Lectureships in 2009.

Pinsky is scheduled to speak on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009 at 2 p.m. on the Tahlequah campus. He is the author of the bestselling books The Gospel According to The Simpsons and The Gospel According to Disney. He is currently working on an updated version of The Simpsons book that will discuss religious themes in other animated television shows such as South Park, Futurama, King of the Hill and Family Guy.

Pinskys writing on faith, media and popular culture appears in such magazines as Christianity Today, Moment, The Columbia Journalism Review, Quill, and Harvard Divinity Bulletin. He spent 13 years covering religion for the Orlando Sentienl and his reporting has also appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.

Coker, an ESPN analyst and former University of Miami head coach, will be the guest speaker on Saturday, April 18, 2009 at 1 p.m. on the Broken Arrow campus.

Coker served as the head coach at the University of Miami from 2001 to 2006. Coker amassed a 60-15 record while coaching the Hurricanes and was named the 2001 Bear Bryant Coach of the Year and 2001 AFCA Coach of the Year after guiding Miami to the 2001 National Championship.

Coker had served as an assistant at several universities (including Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State) and as Miami's offensive coordinator from 1995 to 2000 before taking over as head coach. He is an NSU alumnus.

For more information on Centennial Lectureships, visit http://www.nsuok.edu/centennial/lectureships/index.html.

9/19/2008

Published: 2008-09-19 00:00:00