Issue: Summer 2013 | Posted: June 5, 2013
Carson to keynote 16th annual Scholarship Banquet
Noted pediatric neurosurgeon and author Benjamin Carson will be the keynote speaker for Union University’s 16th annual Scholarship Banquet. The event date is Tuesday, Oct. 22, at Jackson’s Carl Perkins Civic Center.
Carson is a full professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he has directed pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center for more than 25 years. He was the keynote speaker for the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast and was one of the speakers for the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference.
He holds more than 60 honorary doctorates and has received hundreds of awards and citations, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008. In 2001, CNN and Time magazine named him one of the nation’s 20 foremost physicians and scientists. The movie “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story,” starring Cuba Gooding Jr. as Carson, premiered on TNT in 2009 and is based on Carson’s memoir.
“Ben Carson participates in the highest sphere of health care in this country,” Union University President David S. Dockery said. “He is a person of great influence, as seen by his role in the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast. His powerful story is inspirational, edifying and challenging. We will be incredibly blessed to have him as our keynote speaker for the 2013 Scholarship Banquet.”
Dockery said attempts have been made for several years to bring Carson to Union, but conflicting schedules always prevented such an appearance.
Carson is president and co-founder of the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes young people of all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments. The fund has awarded more than $5 million dollars to more than 5,000 scholars.
He is also the author of five books, including Gifted Hands, Think Big and America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great. Carson and his wife Candy have been married for more than 37 years and have three sons.
Union Scholarship Banquets have generated about $5.5 million for student scholarships since the event began in 1997. For information about table sponsorships and individual seating, please contact the Office of University Relations at (731) 661-5050 or make reservations online by following the link at uu.edu/events/scholarshipbanquet.
Gates ties U.S. influence to its character at home
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates provided a sobering analysis of recent world events, but said he remains “fundamentally optimistic” about the future of the United States.
Gates addressed the 15th Annual Scholarship Banquet at Union University, helping raise about $500,000 for student scholarships.
The former president of Texas A&M praised the work of Union in shaping future leaders, whom Gates said must be grounded in faith and integrity to face future challenges at home and abroad.
“It will take real leadership, political will, shared sacrifice and a willingness to compromise,” Gates said.