White House speechwriter will give first lecture in a new series

Posted 10/28/00

On Oct. 31 Sigma Alpha Epsilon and the Tucker Foundation will host a discussion with J. Terry Edmonds, Assistant to the President of the United States and Director of the White House Office of Speechwriting.

Edmonds will speak at Dartmouth about his life, his experiences as a speechwriter, and how being an African-American has or has not shaped his experiences in the White House.

The discussion will take place on Tuesday Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall. Following the discussion there will be an informal question and answer session and dessert reception at Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Edmonds, the first African American speechwriter to work in the White House, has helped pen numerous speeches on subjects ranging from educational reform to welfare reform to the federal budget. He, along with Harvard professor Christopher Edley, assisted the President in drafting a report to the nation on building one America in the 21st century.

Before his assignment in the White House, Edmonds served as a speechwriter for Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala. Prior to that, he held public relations and communications positions in the private sector. Edmonds was director of communication for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and served as Press Secretary for then congressman Kweisi Mfume.

The lecture in Alumni Hall and the question and answer session that will follow at Sigma Alpha Epsilon are open to the public. Those interested in speechwriting, public speaking, current policy issues, and the ways in which media and public opinion affect the agenda of government officials will be most interested in what Edmonds has to share.

Edmonds's lecture is the first in the newly established Professor Andrew J. Scarlett Lectureship Series established through the generosity of the former Dartmouth chemistry professor. The Scarlett Lectureship Series will enable Sigma Alpha Epsilon to bring a number of speakers annually to Dartmouth to speak about current issues and topics of interest to students and the Dartmouth Community.

For information call J.R. Lederer at (603) 643-0071.