Legendary prosecutor and author Vincent Bugliosi kicks off University Speakers Series

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Former Los Angeles prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi will speak at 7 p.m. Oct. 2 in Indiana State University’s Tilson Auditorium as part of the 2007 - 2008 University Speakers Series. A book signing and reception is planned immediately following his talk in Heritage Lounge.

Bugliosi was made immortal as the prosecutor who convicted Charles Manson in the bloody Tate/LaBianca murders. He told the story of that case, authoring the bestselling true crime book in publishing history, “Helter Skelter,” which was turned into a highly successful television movie.

In addition to “Helter Skelter,” two more of Bugliosi’s true crime books -“And the Sea Will Tell” and “Outrage” - reached #1 on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list. No other American true-crime writer has ever had more than one book that achieved this ranking.

His most recent book, “Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy,” is the culmination of more than 20 years of writing and research. Bugliosi defends the Warren Commission's conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the slaying of President Kennedy.

Bugliosi starred in a British television production in which he prosecuted Lee Harvey Oswald for the assassination of John F. Kennedy against the celebrated defense attorney Gerry Spence. For this special he prepared for six months as if it were an actual case, working over 100 hours per week. The 21-hour show had a real judge and jury, the actual witnesses in the Kennedy case, and no script or actors. The jury convicted Oswald.

Bugliosi received his law degree in 1964 from UCLA Law School. As a prosecutor for the Los Angeles District Attorney's office, he lost only one out of the 106 felony jury trials he prosecuted, including 21 consecutive murder convictions.

Frank Deford

Veteran sportswriter, author, and NPR commentator Frank Deford will speak at 7 p.m. Nov. 19 in Tilson Auditorium. A book signing and reception is planned immediately following his talk in Heritage Lounge. Deford’s appearance is being co-sponsored by the ISU Foundation.

Deford may be heard as a commentator every Wednesday on NPR's "Morning Edition" and seen on television as a regular correspondent on the HBO show "RealSports With Bryant Gumbel." He is senior contributing writer for "Sports Illustrated."

The author of 15 books, his newest, "The Entitled," a novel about celebrity, sex and baseball, was published in early 2007. Two of Deford's books -"Everybody's All-American" and "Alex: The Life Of A Child," his memoir about his daughter who died of cystic fibrosis - have been made into movies.

As a journalist, Deford has been elected to the Hall of Fame of the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters. Six times he was voted by his peers as U.S. Sportswriter of The Year. The American Journalism Review has likewise cited him as the nation's finest sportswriter, and twice he was voted Magazine Writer of The Year by the Washington Journalism Review.

For 16 years, Deford served as national chairman of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and he remains chairman emeritus. He is a graduate of Princeton University, where he has taught in American Studies.

John Douglas

John Douglas, a pioneer in criminal profiling and a former FBI Special Agent, will speak at 7 p.m. Feb. 5, 2008, in Tilson Auditorium. A book signing and reception is planned immediately following his talk in Heritage Lounge.

Douglas is a legendary figure in law enforcement and the model for the Scott Glenn character in "The Silence of the Lambs." (He was also the original choice to play the role.) As founder and chief of the FBI’s Investigative Support Unit - the team that tackles the most baffling and senseless of unsolved violent crimes - Douglas is the man who ushered in a new age in behavioral science and criminal profiling. He retired from the FBI after 25 years of service.

He hunted some of the most notorious and sadistic criminals of our time - San Francisco’s Trailside Killer, the Atlanta child murderer, the Tylenol poisoner, the man who hunted prostitutes for sport in the woods of Alaska, and Seattle’s Green River killer.

He developed the first psychological profile of the Unabomber, but found the FBI wary of his pioneering techniques. The bureau ignored his aggressive plan of action. He confronted, interviewed, and studied dozens of serial killers and assassins - including Charles Manson, Sirhan Sirhan, Richard Speck, John Wayne Gacy, David Berkowitz (Son of Sam) and James Earl Ray - for a landmark study, to understand their motives and motivations.

As a high-profile expert, Douglas provided consultation in the O.J. Simpson civil case and the JonBenet Ramsey murder investigation.

He is the author of national bestsellers -- "Obsession,” “Mind Hunter” and “Unabomber: On the Trail of America’s Most Wanted Serial Killer" (all co-authored with Mark Olshaker). He also wrote "The Anatomy of Motive,” “The Cases that Haunt Us,” and "Anyone You Want Me to Be: A True Story of Sex and Death on the Internet" (co-authored with Stephen Singular). His most recent book probes a recent-day serial killer -- "Inside the Mind of BTK: The True Story Behind the 30-Year Hunt for the Notorious Wichita Serial Killer.”

A veteran of the Air Force, Douglas holds a doctor of education degree.

Marlee Matlin

This year’s Speakers Series will conclude at 7 p.m. March 3, 2008, in Tilson Auditorium with Marlee Matlin. A reception is planned immediately following her talk in Heritage Lounge.

Matlin received worldwide critical acclaim for her motion picture debut in Paramount Pictures’ “Children of a Lesser God,” earning her the Academy Award for Best Actress. At age 21, she became the youngest recipient of the Best Actress Oscar, making her one of only four actresses to receive that honor for a film debut. In addition to the Oscar, Matlin was honored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association with the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama.

Since then, Matlin has starred in numerous feature films and made the jump to television. Matlin made her debut starring opposite Lee Remick, in CBS’s “Bridge to Silence,” a film that marked her first speaking role. Following that she starred for two seasons in NBC's series, “Reasonable Doubts” opposite Mark Harmon. For seven seasons, Matlin starred as pollster Joey Lucas, on NBC’s Emmy Award winning series, “The West Wing.” She has also guest starred on HBO’s “The Larry Sanders Show,” ABC’s “Spin City,” and "Desperate Housewives," NBC’s “ER,” and CBS's "Judging Amy" and “CSI: New York.” Matlin currently has a recurring role on NBC's “My Name is Earl” and joined the cast of Showtime’s cutting-edge drama “The L Word” starring opposite Jennifer Beals.

In addition to acting, she has authored two books, "Deaf Child Crossing" and "Nobody's Perfect." Matlin currently serves as a national celebrity spokesperson for the American Red Cross, encouraging Americans to donate blood. She has worked on behalf of closed captioning and was instrumental in getting Congress to pass federal legislation requiring all televisions manufactured in the United States be equipped with closed captioning technology.

All presentations are free and open to the public.

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Contact: Linda Crossett, University Speaker Series, 812.237.8479

Mark Edwards, Marketing & Communications, 812.237.8512

Media Contact and Writer: Paula Meyer, ISU Communications & Marketing, 812.237.3783 or pmeyer4@isugw.indstate.edu