LAKELAND, Fla. (Sept. 7, 2006) — Florida Southern College’s Center for Florida History welcomes Gov. Bob Graham to the Florida Lecture Series on Sept. 28. Graham’s presentation, “A Conversation with Bob Graham,” will begin at 7 p.m. in the William M. Hollis Seminar Room on the Florida Southern campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.  

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Bob Graham to our campus as our opening speaker for this year’s Florida Lecture Series,” noted James M. Denham, director of the Center for Florida History and FSC professor of history.  “His life experiences, insights and observations on past and contemporary state, national and international issues will be of great interest to everyone. This will be a special evening for our students, faculty and community.”

Graham, one of Florida’s most important political figures of the twentieth century, is the fourth child of south Florida pioneer, mining engineer, cattleman and legislator Earnest “Cap” Graham. Graham excelled at the University of Florida and Harvard Law School, and began his celebrated career in public service with ten years in the Florida Legislature. Graham’s next eight years as Florida governor (1978-1986) were among the most important in the state’s history, and Florida’s impressive strides in higher education and environmental protection were largely attributable to Graham’s leadership. During his subsequent three terms in the United States Senate, Graham was admired as one of the Senate’s most thoughtful and respected voices. Perhaps his finest hour in that body came in Oct., 2002 when, as chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, he sounded the alarm against al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Hamas as the greatest threats to American security. These sentiments were expressed in his book, “Intelligence Matters: The CIA, the FBI, Saudi Arabia, and the Failure of America’s War on Terror” (2004, with Jeff Nussbaum). Since his 2004 retirement from the Senate and unsuccessful bid for the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, Graham has served as an Institute of Politics Fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He lives in Miami with his wife of 47 years, Adele. They have four daughters and many grandchildren.

About the Florida Lecture Series 
The Florida Lecture Series is produced by the Center for Florida History under the direction of Dr. James M. Denham. The program brings speakers to the Lakeland campus who approach the issue of “Florida Life and Culture” from a wide range of disciplines, including history, public affairs, law, sociology, criminology, anthropology, literature, music and art. Its overall objective is to create an opportunity for members of the community, faculty, and student body to listen to, interact with and learn from leading scholars and specialists of the state’s history and culture.
 
About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive, United Methodist college with a liberal arts core. The college maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 38 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student/faculty ratio, provides strong student/faculty mentorship programs, boasts 25 NCAA Division II national championships, and is ranked by U. S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelors and by the Princeton Review as a “Best Southeastern College.” Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.