Lawson to deliver President’s Lecture

Lawson
to deliver President’s Lecture
…………………………………………………………………

On
the heels of the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s
birthday, the Rev. William Lawson will address a Rice audience
at a lecture that commemorates the slain civil rights leader.

Lawson will
deliver the Jan. 25 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture,
part of the Rice President’s Lecture Series. The talk
will be held at 8 p.m. in the Grand Hall of Rice Memorial
Center.

Since arriving
in Texas after earning multiple degrees in sociology, divinity
and theology and completing doctoral studies in ethics and
society, Lawson has made significant contributions to the
spiritual and social needs of the Houston community. Founder
of the Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, he was instrumental
in the creation of the Pre-College Center at Texas Southern
University and in the establishment of the black studies
program at the University of Houston.

Lawson’s
community and social-action ministries are vast and diverse.
In 1965, he organized PUSH, which gave impetus to the desegregation
of schools in Houston. He later organized and sponsored
the area’s largest and most productive Boy Scouts program.
Troop 242 claims more than 92 Eagle Scouts. And in 1988,
he conceived and orchestrated the Houston Initiative, which
involved churches and synagogues in meeting the needs of
Houston’s homeless and jobless. The program now is
spearheaded by the United Way.

Lawson is an
active member of the Houston Job Training Partnerships Administration,
the Unity National Bank board of directors, the Commission
on Mental Health for Children and Their Families and the
United Way board of directors, among other organizations.

Supported by
the J. Newton Rayzor Lecture Fund, the President’s
Lecture Series has long been a distinguished element of
Rice’s academic community. The series, open to the
Rice community and the people of Houston, embodies William
Marsh Rice’s commitment to contribute educational opportunity
to the broader society. The Office of the President sponsors
this series that brings stimulating speakers who foster
understanding about a wide range of topics in the sciences,
humanities, engineering, social sciences, architecture,
music and public policy.

To attend the
free lectures, enter gate 13 off Rice Boulevard or gate
8 off University Boulevard. Parking is available in lot
E (near gate 13) and in the stadium lot. A shuttle bus will
run between the Rice Memorial Center and the stadium lot
from 7 to 9:30 p.m.

No tickets will
be needed for admission to the President’s lecture.
Seating will begin at 7 p.m. For more information, call
(713) 348-5585 or e-mail <ricepls@rice.edu>.