Richard L. Armitage, Former Deputy U.S. Secretary of State, to Deliver 23rd Annual Rev. Thomas J. Furphy Lecture, Wed., Oct. 18
The Hon. Richard L. Armitage, Deputy U.S. Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005, will deliver the 23rd Annual Rev. Thomas J. Furphy Lecture at DeSales at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 18, in Billera Hall. The public talk will be followed by a Q & A session. Admission is free, but tickets are required. For ticket reservations, call (610) 282-4604.
Earlier in the day, Armitage will take part in a student discussion session from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., in the White Board Room of McShea Center. (PLEASE NOTE: The student discussion session is not open to the public, but members of the media are welcome. Anyone from the media who wishes to attend the student session should contact Penny Savakis, director of public relations at DeSales University, at 610-282-1100, ext. 1477, or at Penny.Savakis@DeSales.edu.)
Armitage is a lifetime public servant with a long and distinguished career that spans over three decades. In 2001, he was selected as Deputy U.S. Secretary of State by President Bush and served until 2005. Since March 2005, he has served as president of Armitage International.
The theme of the lecture series is "National and International Problems." In his talk, Armitage, who is an expert on Asia, will focus on the future of Asia and its untapped potential. He will address Asia's numerous strategic and economic opportunities, and the emergence of China and India as two economic powerhouses of the 21st Century.
Earlier in his career, from 1993 until 2001, Armitage was president of Armitage Associates L.C. and was engaged in a range of worldwide business and public policy endeavors. Prior to that, he had the personal rank of ambassador and directed U.S. assistance to the new independent states of the former Soviet Union from 1992 to 1993.
From 1989 through 1992, Armitage filled key diplomatic positions that ranged from presidential special negotiator for the Philippines Military Bases Agreement and special mediator for water in the Middle East, to special emissary to Jordan's King Hussein during the 1991 Gulf War. From 1983 to 1989, he worked in the Pentagon as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs.
Armitage came to Washington as a Pentagon consultant in 1975, and was posted in Tehran, Iran, until 1976. Following two years in the private sector, he took the position as administrative assistant to Senator Robert Dole in 1978. In the 1980 Reagan campaign, he served as senior advisor to the Interim Foreign Policy Advisory Board and prepared the president-elect for major international policy issues. From 1981 until 1983, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia and Pacific Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Armitage served on a destroyer stationed on the Vietnam gunline and subsequently completed three combat tours in Vietnam. Fluent in Vietnamese, Armitage left active duty in 1973, and joined the U.S. Defense Attache Office in Saigon.
His numerous honors and awards include the Department of State Distinguished Service Award, Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service (four times), the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Award for Outstanding Public Service, the Presidential Citizens Medal and the Department of State Distinguished Honor Award.
Also, Armitage has received many U.S. military decorations, in addition to decorations from the governments of Thailand, Republic of Korea, Bharain and Pakistan. In December 2005, Armitage was awarded a KBE and became a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George.
Armitage is a member of The American Academy of Diplomacy and currently serves on the board of directors of ManTech International Corporation and Transcutaneous Technologies, Inc.
The lecture series is named in memory of Father Thomas J. Furphy, O.S.F.S., 1912 - 1982, who distinguished himself as a teacher of "National Problems." His career in education spanned 38 years and began at Northeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia, and included the Salesianum School, Villanova University and Allentown College of Saint Francis de Sales (now DeSales University). He retired from teaching in 1977, and lived at Wills Hall, the faculty residence at DeSales until his death in 1982.
Past guest speakers have included John Cardinal O'Connor, Jeanne Kirkpatrick, William Colby, Abba Eban, Lee A. Iacocca, Antonin Scalia, George F. Will, Vladimir Posner, Jack Kemp, William J. Bennett, Shimon Peres, Louis Freeh, General Barry McCaffrey and William S. Cohen.
Press Release: Richard L. Armitage, Former Deputy U.S. Secretary of State, to Deliver 23rd Annual Rev. Thomas J. Furphy Lecture, Wed., Oct. 18 | Posted on: 9/11/2006
For more info:
Tom McNamara, Executive Director of Communications
DeSales University | 2255 Station Avenue | Center Valley, PA 18034
610.282.1100 x1219 | Tom.McNamara@desales.edu |
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