Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Red Dawson among impressive speakers at TEDxMarshallU event
3/31/2021 11:50:00 PM | Football, Word on the Herd
Virtual event will be held this Friday, April 2, from 7 to 9 p.m.
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University will host its third annual TEDxMarshallU event this Friday from 7 to 9 p.m., and this year will have an athletics twist.
The theme for this year's event is "RISING" to honor the 50th anniversary of the Marshall University community beginning to rise from the ashes of the November 1970 plane crash, according to a university release. Among the themes that will be explored are the ideas and initiatives that are helping the community rise in education, economic development and mental health, as well as perseverance through adversity.
Who better, then, to speak at this event than Red Dawson? The former Marshall football assistant coach will share his perspective on the tragedy that struck the football team, school and community.
On the 49th anniversary of the Marshall plane crash that claimed the lives of 75 people associated with the school's football program, Dawson spoke at a Big Green Scholarship Foundation luncheon at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. If you haven't heard Mr. Dawson speak, add the TEDxMarshallU event to Friday night's schedule.
Dawson stayed in Huntington, West Virginia, after the tragedy and helped the rebirth of the football program, school and community. No one has persevered through the adversity of what happened on November 14, 1970.
"It's a hard job getting through life," Dawson said on November 13, 1970. "After you have what happened in your lifetime, after that's over, then you're trying to make things better. Sometimes you can't just snap your fingers and do it, but I've been trying."
To register for this virtual event, visit http://bit.ly/tedxmarshallurising
"I'm proud to have been a part of bringing the tradition of the yearly TEDxMarshallU event to Marshall University," said Dr. Brian Kinghorn, assistant professor in Marshall's College of Education and Professional Development, who is licensee and lead organizer of the event. "We have an amazing team of top-notch MU students, faculty and staff who have been working tirelessly since last summer to plan and organize this event, and we have a phenomenal lineup of speakers. This year has been particularly special because we are able to use our platform to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the plane crash, honor the lives lost and those left behind to mourn and persevere, and highlight the resilience of our community rising from the ashes of that and other tragedies over the last 50 years."
Among the other speakers, according to the university release:
- Lt. Chad Napier, a retired Charleston police officer who worked with the Metro Drug Unit and now is employed by Appalachia HIDTA. He will discuss Handle with Care, a statewide trauma-sensitive collaboration between law enforcement and schools to ensure that traumatized children are handled with care.
- Kathy D'Antoni, Ed.D., an educator who has served as associate state superintendent for West Virginia. She will share her thoughts on education in West Virginia, specifically the Simulated Workplace initiative.
- Brandon Dennison, founder and CEO of the Coalfield Development Corporation, will discuss helping West Virginia reach its fullest potential through Coalfield Development's trainings and education to start social enterprises.
- Lee Farabaugh, a senior technology, design, operations and business development expert with 20 years of experience in financial technology and health care IT pioneered the Hereshore model for U.S.-based technology outsourcing. She will explore the concept of outsourcing IT services to smaller cities in the United States.
- Suzanne Strait, Ph.D., associate director of the Division of Science and Research at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, is in her 27th year of teaching as a professor of biological sciences at Marshall University, and served as a West Virginia Mask Army organizer during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her talk will be centered around COVID-19 and the West Virginia Mask Army.
- Ashley Perkins, Pharm.D., a mental health advocate with a background as a pharmacist and educator, will discuss improving mental health awareness through sharing stories and helping others with mental illnesses cope and achieve their goals.
- Duo Transcend, the entertainment team of Tyce Nielsen and his wife, Huntington native Mary (Wolfe) Nielsen, are aerialist and roller-skating performers who entertain around the globe with Cirque du Soleil, and were runners up on America's Got Talent Champions. They will perform and discuss how to overcome failure through determination and grit.
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a nine-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).