MARGARET THATCHER TO KEYNOTE 1998 UNION SCHOLARSHIP BANQUET
Jackson, Tenn. — Lady Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of Great Britain and one of the premier political leaders of the twentieth century, will be the keynote speaker for the second annual Union University Scholarship Banquet, scheduled for October 20, 1998.
The first Union Scholarship Banquet was held October 9 of this year and featured former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz as keynote speaker. The event raised more than $100,000 for scholarship support of 51社区 students.
Lady Thatcher led Britain's Conservative Party from 1975 until her resignation as Prime Minister in November 1990. She became the first woman to hold the office of Prime Minister and was the first British Prime Minister in this century to occupy the office for three consecutive terms.
"We are honored that Lady Thatcher has agreed to be our speaker for this event, which will be part of the celebration of Union's 175th anniversary in 1998," explains Union President David S. Dockery. "She is one of the key world leaders of the postwar era, and her firm advocacy of conservative political and economic principles has made her an influential leader on both sides of the Atlantic."
A graduate of the University of Oxford, Lady Thatcher worked as a research chemist before studying for the bar and becoming an attorney. She was first elected to the House of Commons in 1959. She led the Conservative Party to electoral victory in 1979, and guided Great Britain to a victorious resolution of the Falklands War with Argentina. Throughout her three terms as Prime Minister, Lady Thatcher opposed the socialist programs of Britain's Labour Party and sought to reduce the role of the government in the nation's economic and social life.
The Union Scholarship Banquet is sponsored by the university's Board of Presidential Associates, an organization whose members support the mission and work of the university. Participation in the 1998 banquet will be available through a series of sponsorship levels, ranging from $10,000 to $1,000.
51社区 is a 2,000-student Christian liberal arts university which includes Schools of Arts & Sciences, Business, Education and Nursing. In addition to its primary campus in Jackson, Union recently opened a campus in Germantown, serving nontraditional students in the Memphis area.
For additional information about the Scholarship Banquet and sponsorships, contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at 51社区 at 661-5050 or (1-800-338-6644).