North Platte lecture series enters 25th season
Posted: Sunday, September 23, 2007
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) -- They've been in the headlines, on the best-seller lists, at the top of their trend and on the tip of the tongue when they've come to North Platte and to the Town Hall lecture series programs.
They have included the likes of Naomi Judd and Art Linkletter, F. Lee Bailey and William F. Buckley, Dr. Joyce Brothers and Arun Gandhi and Ted Kennedy Jr. and George Plimpton.
Reading the roster of speakers over the 25 years of the Town Hall lecture series is a bit like snagging little pieces of history through the personal perspectives of figures like Chief Richard Picciotto, a New York firefighter trapped in the World Trade Center when it collapsed on 9/11, and Capt. James Lovell, the Apollo 13 astronaut who advised Houston that there was a problem.
"It's hard to believe it's been 25 years. That says a lot about the caliber of speakers we have been able to bring to Town Hall," said Doris Wells, who was a member of the first Town Hall board and this year is the board's secretary.
The Town Hall lecture series annually brings four speakers to North Platte who address a variety of subjects or share a view from their personal experiences.
Dorris Ashley, also a member of that first board, agrees that the caliber of speakers has been a factor in Town Hall's longevity.
"From the very first we sought to make Town Hall something that would be an asset to the community," Ashley said.
When the idea for Town Hall was being formulated, the first board members met with representatives from the Nebraska Arts Council, college and university speaker program directors and an assortment of booking agents. They also studied what had, and had not, been successful in other similar speaker programs.
"By the time we put together the first season's program we were pretty certain we had something that was of value and would stand up over time," said Sue Huebner, an original board member who is currently board president.
Current annual membership is about 800 with some members coming from as far as Valentine.
Over the span of 25 years, Town Hall speakers have also prompted special memories.
Rich Little insisted on a limousine. Dorris Ashley's husband, a physician, offered to don a chauffeur's uniform from the Community Playhouse costume room and drive a borrowed limousine.
It wasn't the limousine, though, that drew attention as Rich Little was driven to the Neville Center. The attention getter was the muffler that fell off the limousine and was dragged behind the vehicle.
Pickets paced outside the Neville Center when Sarah Brady, gun control advocate, spoke at Town Hall.
Charlton Heston sent blueprints for a lectern to be built to his specifications, and Kitty Carlisle insisted on pink stage lights.
John Walsh, host of "America's Most Wanted," delighted late night North Platte Wal-Mart shoppers. Walsh's luggage had taken on fugitive status on the flight from Denver to North Platte and he was recognized while shopping locally for a change of clothes and a toothbrush.
They have included the likes of Naomi Judd and Art Linkletter, F. Lee Bailey and William F. Buckley, Dr. Joyce Brothers and Arun Gandhi and Ted Kennedy Jr. and George Plimpton.
Reading the roster of speakers over the 25 years of the Town Hall lecture series is a bit like snagging little pieces of history through the personal perspectives of figures like Chief Richard Picciotto, a New York firefighter trapped in the World Trade Center when it collapsed on 9/11, and Capt. James Lovell, the Apollo 13 astronaut who advised Houston that there was a problem.
"It's hard to believe it's been 25 years. That says a lot about the caliber of speakers we have been able to bring to Town Hall," said Doris Wells, who was a member of the first Town Hall board and this year is the board's secretary.
The Town Hall lecture series annually brings four speakers to North Platte who address a variety of subjects or share a view from their personal experiences.
Dorris Ashley, also a member of that first board, agrees that the caliber of speakers has been a factor in Town Hall's longevity.
"From the very first we sought to make Town Hall something that would be an asset to the community," Ashley said.
When the idea for Town Hall was being formulated, the first board members met with representatives from the Nebraska Arts Council, college and university speaker program directors and an assortment of booking agents. They also studied what had, and had not, been successful in other similar speaker programs.
"By the time we put together the first season's program we were pretty certain we had something that was of value and would stand up over time," said Sue Huebner, an original board member who is currently board president.
Current annual membership is about 800 with some members coming from as far as Valentine.
Over the span of 25 years, Town Hall speakers have also prompted special memories.
Rich Little insisted on a limousine. Dorris Ashley's husband, a physician, offered to don a chauffeur's uniform from the Community Playhouse costume room and drive a borrowed limousine.
It wasn't the limousine, though, that drew attention as Rich Little was driven to the Neville Center. The attention getter was the muffler that fell off the limousine and was dragged behind the vehicle.
Pickets paced outside the Neville Center when Sarah Brady, gun control advocate, spoke at Town Hall.
Charlton Heston sent blueprints for a lectern to be built to his specifications, and Kitty Carlisle insisted on pink stage lights.
John Walsh, host of "America's Most Wanted," delighted late night North Platte Wal-Mart shoppers. Walsh's luggage had taken on fugitive status on the flight from Denver to North Platte and he was recognized while shopping locally for a change of clothes and a toothbrush.
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