For the past quarter century, the annual Hazard Lecture Series has offered the Golden Triangle opportunities to explore the worlds of history, artistic expression and science and medicine. The tradition continues this month as the series marks its 25th anniversary with two free lectures that examine The Voyage of the Mind.
On Monday, Sept. 12, Dr. Art Cox will talk on “Innovations in Medicine: Emerging Techniques in Facial Surgery.” The following Monday, Sept. 19, Margaret Mary Henry presents “A Window on Russia: A Local Scholar Reports.”
Voyage of the Mind, Voyage from the Past and Voyage of the Artist are the series’ three broad rotating themes that have served as catalysts for guest talks by archaeologists, actors, physicists, costume designers, academics, historians and ambassadors.
“We’ve had painters, scientists, musicians, Albert Einstein and a lot more,” said George Hazard Jr. He and the Hazard family established the lecture series in 1992 in honor of George Hazard Sr. An academic and community service of Heritage Academy, the lectures are designed to stimulate thought and curiosity outside the classroom.
“This year we are proud to welcome Heritage Academy alumnus Dr. Art Cox back to campus with a look at advances in facial surgery,” said Hazard. “The school is mighty proud of Art’s career in Birmingham.”
Cox, a Columbus native, is associate professor with the UAB Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, in Birmingham, Alabama, specializing in facial, plastic and reconstructive surgery.
Henry is a world language instructor with the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science. The former journalist lived in Russia for several years and has since spent time there for studies in Russian and pedagogy at Moscow State University.
“Margaret Mary Henry returns to us with another look at Russia. She spoke on foreign policy in 1999,” Hazard said. “It’s clear that Russian foreign policy is even more important to the United States now than it was then. So Ms. Henry will offer some observations based on her study in St. Petersburg just this summer.”
Of medicine, Russia
Cox, who graduated from Heritage in 1984, will primarily share information Sept. 12 on new techniques in facial reconstruction, including the use of robots, stem cells and special imaging techniques.
“It’s exciting to share with people some of the things that are available to us now and that there are advances coming, that health care is always making strides,” said Cox. “I’m really quite excited to return to Heritage for this. I think (the school) gave me a really nice background, a good place to leap from,” he added.
Henry’s presentation Sept. 19 will draw on her near 40-year interest in Russia, where she lived from 1992 to 1999 as a journalist with The Moscow Times. A two-time Fullbright-Hays grant recipient, Henry recently returned from a six-week program of study there.
“I’m going to talk about changes in Russia since the time I lived there in the ’90s,” Henry explained. “I plan to talk about some of the things I find encouraging there, and other things that are disturbing. … I’m honored to be part of the lecture series; I think it contributes greatly to the intellectual life of the Golden Triangle.”
Time and place
Both free lectures begin at 7 p.m. at the Heritage Academy Elementary Activity Building at 623 Willowbrook Road, Columbus.
The school, along with the Hazard family, is proud to mark the series’ 25th anniversary.
Heritage Academy Headmaster Dr. Greg Carlyle remarked, “Throughout the past quarter century, the Hazard family has served the school and community as tremendous benefactors for learning. They have provided unique opportunities to be inspired by experts on a variety of relevant science, historical and cultural topics.”
For more information, contact Beth Lucas at 662-327-1556 (ext. 211), or email [email protected].
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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