BACKGROUND

The endowment supporting the Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lectureship honors the memory of Martin Bucksbaum, the late chairman and CEO of the General Growth Corporation, which develops and manages shopping malls across the nation. It was established by a substantial gift to Drake University by Martin and Melva Bucksbaum in 1996. Mr. Bucksbaum was a member of Drake's governing board and a leader in the Des Moines community.

When the Lectureship was established, President Michael Ferrari appointed a committee to oversee it. The Bucksbaum Lectureship Committee included Melva Bucksbaum, widow of Martin Bucksbaum; their daughter, Mary Bucksbaum; Jim Autry, poet, consultant, and retired executive of the Meredith Corporation; David Hurd, former CEO of the Principal Financial Group; Charles Johnson, Chairman and CEO (retired) of Pioneer HiBred International; David Kruidenier, former publisher of the Des Moines Register and a member of the Cowles family; and Lorraine May, a Des Moines attorney. Charlotte Hubbell, served on the initial committee but resigned when her family moved to the Netherlands. Also on the committee are Neil Hamilton, Ellis and Nelle Levitt Professor of Law and Director of the Agricultural Law Center; Susann Siebke, formerly the Director of the Drake Business Center; and Robert Woodward, Ellis and Nelle Levitt Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication. Myron Marty, the Ann G. and Sigurd E. Anderson University Professor, has been the chair of the committee and coordinator of the lectures since its inception. He was assisted by Susann Siebke until his retirement in 2001. Beginning with the lecture in March 2000 by Marian Wright Edelman, administrative support has been provided by Rod Henshaw, dean of Cowles Library, and Susan Breakenridge, special assistant to the dean.

Upon Dr.Marty's retirement, president Maxwell appointed Neil Hamilton, the Dwight D. Opperman Chair of Law, as the new committee chair. Current members include: Melva Bucksbaum, Mary Bucksbaum Scanlon, Julian Archer, James Autry, Pamela Bass-Bookey, Michael Gartner, Rod Hendhaw, G. David Hurd, and Eleanor Zeff. Bucksbaum Lectures Administrator: Susan Breakenridge.

1. To offer the campus and Des Moines communities an opportunity for stimulating intellectual engagement with lecturers of national renown and from a variety of fields and professions. Accordingly, an evening lecture open to the community without charge, and widely publicized, is to be the centerpiece of each lectureship.
2. To give students a chance for direct interaction with the distinguished lecturers on the day of the lectures or the following day or both. Participation in class activities and invitational luncheons with about 20 persons present are regarded as highly desirable.
3. To make possible interaction between the lecturers and representatives of communications media in Des Moines.
4. To give the lecturers good experiences with Drake's students and with residents in America's heartland.

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