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October 2003

Leakey and Launius next Distinguished Voices lecturers

Richard Leakey

A noted paleoanthropologist and a respected space historian will be the next presenters in the Distinguished Voices Lecture Series.

Richard Leakey, one of the world's best-known paleoanthropologists and who is credited with some of the most significant fossil discoveries of the 20th century, will speak Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Arena. Although the event is free, tickets are required and are available at the UNF Ticket Box Office.

Roger Launius, former NASA chief historian and author of numerous space-related books, will speak Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the University Center. No tickets are required for this event.

Leakey, the son of Louis B. and Mary Leakey, will discuss "Wildlife Wars: The Fight to Save Africa's Natural Treasures."

In his career, he has served as a senior government official in Kenya, an opposition political activist, a conservationist, a museum director and a scientific researcher.
He became director of the Kenya Wildlife Services in 1989 and led a movement to end elephant poaching in Africa, nearly eliminating the international ivory trade. In 1994, he resigned his post claiming that government corruption had undermined the Kenya Wildlife Services.

Despite being involved in a plane crash that resulted in the loss of both his legs below the knee, Leakey continued his political activism in Kenya, forming an opposition political party.

In 1998, at the behest of the government, he returned to the wildlife service and in 1999 was appointed head of the country's civil service and secretary of the Kenyan cabinet. However, heated conflicts with the Kenyan government forced him to step down.

Leakey recently joined Stony Brook University in New York as a visiting professor of anthropology. He has turned his attention to conservation and the environment by raising awareness of major ecosystems crises. He is working to develop a $500 million endowment for wildlife preservation for the National Parks of East Africa.

The author of more than 100 articles and books, Leakey also has participated in several TV programs, including the five-part Making of Mankind and NBC's Earthwatch.

Roger Launius

Roger Launius will discuss the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and the recent federal task force report on the deadly accident. His lecture is "After the Shuttle: How We Got in This Fix and How We Can Get Out of It."

Launius is a member of the space history division at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Previously, he was the chief historian for NASA.

Born in Galesburg, Ill., Launius grew up in Greenville, S.C. He graduated from Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa, and earned his master's and doctorate from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.

He then became a civilian staff historian with the Air Force and served in a variety of historian positions until becoming the chief historian for the Military Airlift Command outside St. Louis in 1987. He joined NASA in 1990.

His most recent book, "Space Stations, Base Camps to the Stars," was published in June.

In addition to his numerous books and articles, Launius is a member of the governing councils of several historical associations. He is a member of the American Astronautical Society, where he is the vice president for publications and the editor of Space Times, the society's magazine.

Distinguished Voices is a series of lectures selected and organized by UNF faculty. The main criteria employed are the intellectual content of the speaker's ideas and history of public lectures. Topics that fit with the University's General Education program are especially welcomed.