Penn State announces 2005-06 Distinguished Speakers Series lineup

James Earl Jones is the first speaker in the series.

University Park, Pa. -- The 2005-2006 Distinguished Speakers Series will bring to University Park four internationally known figures, including a celebrated actor, a baseball legend, an honored astronaut and a human-rights activist.

The scheduled speakers are:

James Earl Jones at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, in Eisenhower Auditorium. A celebrated actor, Jones has earned numerous awards for his work on both the screen and the stage. His career has encompassed all the realms of acting -- from Shakespeare to Broadway to Hollywood -- and has enriched and entertained millions of people around the world. He is known for his bravery and dignity in the roles he plays. Most recently, Jones was seen in "Cry the Beloved Country," a story of apartheid in South Africa for which his peers nominated him for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance. Jones owns a long list of film credits and early in his career, he earned an Academy Award nomination for his powerful performance in "The Great White Hope," in which he reprised his Tony Award-winning role of the first black heavyweight boxing champion, Jack Johnson. More recently, he collected a second Tony for his work in the Broadway production of August Wilson's "Fences." Jones has starred in more than 20 plays and musicals.

Tickets for James Earl Jones' appearance are available Sept. 12-14.

Cal Ripken Jr. at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27 in Eisenhower Auditorium. Baseball's all-time Iron Man, Ripken retired from baseball in October 2001 after 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. His name appears in the record books repeatedly, most notably as one of only eight players in history to achieve 400 home runs and 3,000 hits. In 1995, Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played (2,130) and voluntarily ended his streak in 1998 after playing 2,632 consecutive games. Although he finished his career at third base, this future Hall of Famer is best known for redefining the position of shortstop. Now Ripken is using the platform that baseball has provided him to help grow the game he loves at the grassroots level. This next phase of his life includes the construction of a one-of-a-kind baseball complex in his hometown of Aberdeen, Md. The Aberdeen Project currently consists of Ripken Stadium, a state-of-the-art 6,000-seat minor league ballpark that is home to the Class A Aberdeen IronBirds. Adjacent to the minor league ballpark is the Ripken Youth Baseball Academy that consists of several youth-sized fields that are modeled after famous big-league ballparks Camden Yards, which is called Cal Sr.'s Yard and is owned and operated by the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation; Memorial Stadium; Wrigley Field; and Fenway Park.

Tickets for Cal Ripken Jr.'s appearance are available Oct. 17-19.

James Lovell at 8 p.m Wednesday, Jan. 25, in Eisenhower Auditorium. Capt. James Lovell Jr. was chosen in September 1962 for the space program following extensive experience as a naval aviator and test pilot. Following execution of commands in the Gemini Mission Program, he became command module pilot and navigator for the epic six-day journey on Apollo 8, man's maiden voyage to the moon, during which he and his fellow crew were the first humans to leave the earth's gravitational influence. He then was backup commander to Neil Armstrong for the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission. His fourth and final flight was as spacecraft commander on the perilous Apollo 13 mission in 1970. He and his crew successfully modified their lunar module into an effective lifeboat when their cryogenic oxygen system failed. Their emergency activation and operation of the lunar module systems conserved both electrical power and water in sufficient supply to ensure their survival in space and their safe return to Earth, and the experience was chronicled in a best-selling book by Lovell and Jeff Kluger, "Lost Moon," which was adapted into the movie "Apollo 13." In 1973, Lovell left the space program to join the Bay-Houston Towing Co. and now is president of Lovell Communications, a business devoted to disseminating information about the U.S. Space Program.

Ticket availability for James Lovell's appearance will be announced at a later date.

Yolanda King at 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 20, in Eisenhower Auditorium. Born in Montgomery, Ala., two weeks before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus and triggered the movement that ultimately desegregated the South, Yolanda King has been in the midst of the struggle for human rights all of her life. The oldest child of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, Yolanda King has participated in numerous civil and human rights demonstrations and has spoken before countless religious, educational, civic and human rights groups. Committed to using her talents in theatrical arts to affect social and personal change through the arts, King has combined her involvement with human rights organizations and causes with her artistic pursuits. King was a founding member of Christian Theatre Artists and for 10 years she served as co-founding director of NUCLEUS with Atallah Shabazz, the eldest child of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz. In 1990, she formed Higher Ground Productions. Its first project was "Tracks," a multimedia theatrical production celebrating the philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr. King starred in the production, which toured the country for four years. Higher Ground Production's most recent project, "Achieving the Dream," is slated for a national tour. King has served as a visiting professor teaching in the theater department at Fordham University in New York City and has been honored with numerous presentations, awards and citations by organizations around the country.

Ticket availability for Yolanda King's appearance will be announced at a later date.

The Distinguished Speaker Series is sponsored by the University Park Allocation Committee and coordinated by the Distinguished Speaker Series Committee and the Office of Student Activities. Funded by student activity fees, the series is free to the public.

Tickets are required for the events and may be obtained from the Eisenhower Auditorium box office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the days mentioned above. Tickets also are distributed at the HUB-Robeson Center outlet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday at the Downtown Theatre Center. Two free tickets will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis consistent with the following schedule:

First day of availability: University Park students (with Penn State ID) only; second day: University Park students, staff and faculty (with Penn State ID) only; third day: general public.

The Distinguished Speaker Series Committee will consider at least two University departments to co-sponsor each speaker. Co-sponsorship requires a $400 donation to be used to defray reception costs, and includes 15 VIP seats at the speech; 15 tickets to the reception when applicable; two student invitations to dinner when applicable; and co-sponsorship of publicity before and at the event.

Co-sponsoring a Distinguished Speaker is a great opportunity to meet guests on a more personal level. Co-sponsors are limited to one speaker per year. If interested, contact Judy Albin at jaa4@psu.edu or (814) 863-3786.

For more information, contact the Office of Student Activities at (814) 863-3786 or stop by 207 HUB-Robeson Center.