Anthony Ray Hinton

Ambassador “Sully” Sullenberger

The Holman Family Distinguished Speaker Series was named for Squire Paul and Meeda (Daniel) Holman by their children to honor their parents’ long association with Truman and is funded through an endowment with the Truman State University Foundation.

In March, Anthony Ray Hinton, author of “The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row,” spoke about the power of hope. In 1985, Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. Sentenced to death, he spent the next three decades in prison. With the help of civil rights attorney and best-selling author Bryan Stevenson, Hinton won his release in 2015.

In April, Ambassador “Sully” Sullenberger, captain of US Airways Flight 1549, spoke in Baldwin Hall Auditorium. Sullenberger became internationally renowned on Jan. 15, 2009, when he and his crew guided their disabled jetliner to an emergency water landing in New York City’s frigid Hudson River during what has been called the “Miracle on the Hudson.” All 155 aboard survived. Sullenberger and his crew received international acclaim for their actions, including the passage of a Congressional resolution recognizing their bravery.