2. Guest Lecture Series
  3. 2011

Vietnam Center and Archive Guest Lecture Series

Museum of Texas Tech University

The mission of The Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive Guest Lecture Series is to enrich the intellectual and cultural life of students, faculty, and the community at large by bringing distinguished individuals to campus for presentations on specific aspects of the Vietnam War, its lasting impact on American politics, society and culture, and on contemporary issues in Southeast Asia.

This series was made possible in 2011-2015 by a generous grant from the Helen Jones Foundation.

2011 Speakers

Adrian Cronauer

Thursday, March 10, 2011, 7:00 pm
Lanier Auditorium, Texas Tech Law School

Adrian Cronauer is the real life radio DJ portrayed by Robin Williams in the film Good Morning Vietnam! He spent many years involved in television and radio communications and advertising. He later earned his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and went on to specialize in communications law in Washington, DC. He is now a Special Assistant to the Director of the Pentagon’s POW/MIA Office.

Lecture Video

Kim Phuc

Thursday, April 14, 2011, 7:00 pm
Allen Theatre

Kim Phuc is known as the "Girl in the Picture." In 1972, she was photographed running down a road naked and on fire after a napalm strike on her village. That iconic photo not only greatly influenced the American public’s opinion of the war, it became the North Vietnamese symbol of the war in much of their propaganda. Now Kim runs a non-profit organization dedicated to healing children in war-torn areas around the world. She is also a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and travels the world telling her story of recovery, forgiveness and courage.

Lecture Still Images

Lecture Video

  • Kim Phuc* (Due to copyright, this video is not available Online)

LeAnn Thieman

Thursday, May 12, 2011, 7:00 pm
Lanier Auditorium, Texas Tech Law School

LeAnn Thieman was one of the nurses involved in Operation Babylift, a daring mission to evacuate Vietnamese babies from war-torn South Vietnam before it fell to communist troops. She is a frequent contributor to the popular Chicken Soup book series and uses her experiences to teach people to balance their lives, truly live their priorities, and make a difference in the world.

Lecture Video

Lecture Still Images

Dr. Kara Dixon Vuic

Thursday, October 13, 2011, 7:00 pm
Lanier Auditorium, Texas Tech Law School

Dr. Kara Dixon Vuic holds a Ph.D. in History from Indiana University. She teaches courses on U.S. history, women's history, African American history, 20th century U.S. social history, the Vietnam War, and world history at Bridgewater College in Virginia. Her first book, Officer, Nurse, Woman: The Army Nurse Corps in the Vietnam War (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009), examines the Vietnam-era Army Nurse Corps. Additionally, she has published articles in Signs and Nursing History Review on the army's changing marriage and motherhood regulations and on the recruitment of nurses for the Vietnam War. She is currently working on a manuscript about civilian organizations that sent women to entertain American troops during World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and recent wars in the Middle East.

Lecture Video

Lecture Still Images

Dave Carey

Thursday, November 10, 2011, 7:00 pm
Allen Theatre

Dave Carey graduated from the US Naval Academy and served as a carrier based pilot in Vietnam. Carey was shot down during one of his missions and he spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war in Hanoi. After returning from Vietnam, he held several command positions including a position as the Director of the Navy’s Leadership and Management Training Program. He earned the Legion of Merit, five Bronze Stars, two Meritorious Service Medals, the Purple Heart, eight Air Medals and the Navy Commendation Medal during his service. Carey’s message emphasizes the power of the human spirit to triumph over adversity.

Lecture Video

Lecture Still Images

Guest Lecture Series and Video Links