(Press release)

The Hill College Performing Arts Series opens this year with Story Musgrave, the inaugural speaker for the new Alden J. Blanar Smith Speaker Series at Hill College. Currently working in research and development at Walt Disney Imagineering, over the course of 30 years, Musgrave has written his own chapter in NASA history as one of its most colorful, passionate and dedicated astronauts.

Musgrave’s presentation, “Earth As Art - A Message of Inspiration & Wonder” reminds his audience that Earth is our most precious resource and, in today's world, we must take good care to preserve it. Providing an inspirational view from high above, he projects his photography from space on dual screens while sharing his unique viewpoint on this subject with his audience, all to the accompaniment of “space music”.

Born in 1935 in Boston, this amazing space explorer is also a fan of the classroom. To date, he holds six degrees -- a doctorate of medicine, as well as two bachelor's degrees and three master's degrees in subjects ranging from mathematics to business administration to literature. He has published 44 scientific papers on topics such as aerospace medicine, exercise physiology and clinical surgery..

Prior to joining NASA, Musgrave was a Marine, serving as an aviation electrician and aircraft crew chief in the Far East. After returning to the U.S., he also worked for the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York, as a mathematician. When selected by NASA in 1967, he was a researcher in cardiovascular and exercise physiology at the University of Kentucky, where he has previously interned as a surgeon and worked as a U.S. Air Force post-doctoral fellow.

Story Musgrave joined NASA with every confidence to be part of a mission to Mars. Although those plans didn't work out, many others did. He served on two satellite-launching missions and led the spacewalking team that repaired the Hubble Space Telescope in 1993. He was also the first astronaut to fly a record-breaking six space shuttle missions and the only astronaut to fly on all six shuttles. As of his last flight in 1996, he was the oldest person in space at the age of 61. In addition, he made many "behind-the-scenes" contributions, helping to design the Skylab program in the mid-1970s and the spacesuits and equipment needed by astronauts on spacewalks.

He is the father of six children, and in his spare time, enjoys chess, flying, gardening, literary criticism, microcomputers, parachuting, photography, reading, running and scuba diving.

Dr. Musgrave’s presentation takes place Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009 at 7:30 pm in the Governor Bill Daniel Auditorium located in the Vara Martin Daniel Performing Arts Center. As with all Performing Arts Series events, this presentation is free and open to the public. For senior citizen transportation information, please call 582-5851.