Apollo 13 commander and best-selling author Jim Lovell will be the featured speaker during the UNLV Foundation's annual dinner April 12 at The Mirage Hotel.
The purpose of the event is to recognize the contributions of individuals and businesses that support academic programs at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
To announce Lovell's selection as the Layne-Byron Distinguished Speaker for the event, Foundation Chairman Tom Hartley said, "Few others are more qualified than Jim Lovell to address the importance of education and how, by working together, anything is possible."
Honoring new members to the UNLV Palladium Society of million-dollar donors is a special feature of the event. This year's special honorees are the Greenspun Family Foundation, the Mary V. Hughes Trust, and International Game Technology. They join 33 other Palladium Society donors who have helped UNLV meet the challenges of building an outstanding public university.
Tackling enormous challenges is a way of life for Lovell, the first man to visit the moon twice. His distinguished career as a naval aviator, astronaut, business leader, and author of the best-seller, "Lost Moon," serves as a strong example of the value of dedication, hard work, and higher education.
Lovell was chosen for the space program in 1962. During his 11 years with NASA he held several command positions in the Gemini mission program, including the history-making Gemini 7 flight that saw the first rendezvous of two manned spacecrafts.
Following the Gemini program, he became commander module pilot and navigator for the Apollo 8 mission. It was during the perilous Apollo 13 flight that spacecraft commander Lovell and his crew successfully modified their lunar module into an effective lifeboat when their oxygen system failed. Their rapid, innovative actions assured their survival in space and safe return to earth.
After leaving the U.S. Navy and the space program, Lovell entered the business world. He became the president of Bay-Houston Towing Company in 1975 and then furthered his corporate experience by accepting the position of president of Fisk Telephone Systems. Fisk was acquired by Centel Corporation in 1980 and Lovell became executive vice president.
In 1994, Lovell wrote "Lost Moon," the best-selling story of the courageous mission of Apollo 13. The film version, called "Apollo 13," was nominated this year for nine Academy Awards, including best picture.
Today, he is president of Lovell Communications, a business devoted to disseminating information about the U.S. space program.
Lovell's presentation is sponsored by Bruce Layne and Dan Byron, two prominent Nevadans who have made significant contributions to UNLV.
Layne, president of Layne & Associates, is the first UNLV alumnus to join the Foundation Board of Trustees and the only member to serve on the boards of both the UNLV Alumni Association and UNLV Foundation. He has participated in many UNLV programs, including chairing the UNLV Economic Education Council and serving as a founder of UNLV Career Day. He was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus in 1984.
Daniel F. Byron has actively supported higher education in Nevada for many years. He was honored with a Distinguished Nevadan Award for his extensive philanthropic deeds and holds an honorary doctorate from UNR in recognition of his efforts on behalf of higher education. He is the president of Rainbow Development, Fidelity Realty, and John H. Midby & Associates.
Byron and John Midby founded the Midby-Byron Distinguished Speaker Program in 1989. It evolved into the Layne-Byron program this year.
The Layne-Byron Distinguished Speaker Program is dedicated to the exploration of intellectual and philosophical topics of interest to Nevadans.
The dinner is by invitation only to members of the UNLV Foundation annual giving groups who contribute $1,000 or more in support of the university's academic programs. Among the annual giving programs available to donors are the President's Inner Circle, for individual contributors of $5,000 or more; the Academic Corporate Council, for business donations of $5,000 or more; and the President's Associates at the $1,000 level. For further information about the Foundation's annual giving programs, call 895-3641.
