Venus Williams, Laura Bush to speak in Cape as part of Speakers Series

Tennis icon Venus Williams and former first lady Laura Bush will headline the 2017-2018 Southeast Missouri State University Speakers Series.

Joanna Shaver, coordinator of campus programming, said she’s excited about the series.

“We’re hoping to see good turnout,” Shaver said by phone Tuesday.

Shaver said the Williams visit is happening quickly.

“We’re glad it could happen, and we want to encourage people to get out there and hear her share her stories,” Shaver said.

Williams will speak at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Show Me Center about her career on and off the court.

Williams, who has captured seven Grand Slam titles, five Wimbledon championships and five Olympic medals, also has written a best-selling book and is an investor, designer and entrepreneur who advocates for gender equality.

Tickets for “An Evening with Venus Williams” are $10 each and are available at the Show Me Center box office or online at showmecenter.biz.

Laura Bush

Bush will speak at the Show Me Center on Feb. 21.

Bush, an advocate for literacy, education and women’s rights, is chairwoman of the Bush Institute’s Women’s Initiative and has been a leading voice for spreading freedom and promoting human rights across the globe.

She wrote a best-selling memoir, “Spoken from the Heart,” and best-selling children’s book, “Our Great Big Backyard.”

Tickets for “An Evening with Laura Bush” go on sale Dec. 1 at the Show Me Center box office or online at showmecenter.biz.

Freeman Hrabowski III

The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner will feature speaker Freeman Hrabowski III, president of The University of Maryland, Baltimore County, author and consultant to several boards, including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Academies and several private foundations and institutes.

The theme for this year’s dinner is “MLK50: Where Do We Go From Here?”

The event will be Jan. 17 at the Show Me Center. Tickets go on sale Nov. 27.

For more information on the series, which officially began with a visit and presentation by scientist Michio Kaku the day of the total solar eclipse Aug. 21, visit semo.edu/speakers.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

1333 N. Sprigg St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.