MEDIA CONTACT: Andrew LaPlant
561-297-3022, alaplant@fau.edu

George McGovern to Speak at FAU Distinguished Lecture Series on the American Presidency

Thomas Jefferson Professor Max Skidmore also Slated to Speak

BOCA RATON, FL (February 24, 2005) - Former congressman and presidential nominee George McGovern and Thomas Jefferson expert Max Skidmore will speak at Florida Atlantic University as part of FAU's Distinguished Lecture Series on the American Presidency.

McGovern will be assessing the current political scene on Thursday, March 10 at 9:45 a.m. on FAU's Jupiter campus at the Abacoa Crown Theater, 4688 Main Street, Jupiter and at 6:30 p.m. at FAU's Boca Raton campus, Lifelong Learning Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd.

Skidmore will be speaking on presidents' lives after the White House on Thursday, March 10 at 12:15 p.m. on FAU's Jupiter campus at the Abacoa Crown Theater. Skidmore will then speak on social security politics on Friday, March 11 at 9 a.m. on FAU's Boca Raton campus, Education Building, Room 119.

McGovern flew 35 combat missions as a B-24 bomber pilot in Europe, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war, he earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in American History and Government from the Northwestern University in Chicago. He was elected to Congress in 1956 and reelected in 1958. In 1960, President John F. Kennedy named McGovern first director of the Food for Peace Program and Special Assistant to the President. He was then elected to the Senate in 1962 and reelected in 1968 and 1974. In 1972, McGovern was selected as the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party. He began lecturing at colleges and universities after a 22-year run as U.S. Congressman, and has received various honorary degrees and distinguished awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the United States' highest civilian honor, which was bestowed upon him by President Clinton in 2000.

Skidmore is currently a Thomas Jefferson Professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City as well as the Curators' Professor of Political Science. He earned his doctorate in American Studies/Political Science from the University of Minnesota in 1964 and received the Thomas Jefferson Award in 2003 for best exemplifying the principles and ideals of Thomas Jefferson personally and academically. In addition, Skidmore is a nationally recognized expert on social security, served as a panelist for Madam President: A Forum on the Prospects for the First Woman President, as well as authored several books, including Presidential Rankings: A Comprehensive Review and After the White House: Former Presidents as Private Citizens, both published in 2004.

The cost for the lecture is $10. Seating is limited. For more information on the series at Boca Raton, call 561-297-6902. For more information on the series in Jupiter, call 561-799-8547.

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