October 5, 2006 - Comic Fred Burns will speak Tuesday, Oct. 17, on the campus of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

His presentation, “The Stand-Up Comedy of Fred Burns,” begins at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Auditorium. It is free and open to the public. Co-sponsors are the Lecture-Concert Series and the Office of Disability Services.

Burns has an “off-the-wall” look at disabilities and today’s world in general and has kept audiences laughing for almost 15 years. Born with Spina Bifida, Burns knows physical difficulties but in response to the most asked question, he’s quick to reply, “I don’t know what it would be like to be able-bodied, I have been this way all of my life. To me, this is normal.”

Considered to be the George Carlin with psychedelic crutches, he won the $10,000 prize on the new Extreme Gong Show and was awarded the 1999 Norman Lear Comedy Award for “Best Comedian with a Disability.” He appears regularly on the Jerry Lewis telethon.

The next Lecture-Concert event will be performance anxiety specialist Richard Cox who will present “Managing Your Head and Body So You Can Become a Good Musician” on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center Auditorium.

For more details, please contact Dr. Gil Fowler, associate dean for The Honors College, at 870-972-2308 or via email at gfowler@astate.edu or visit http://honors.astate.edu.

The Lecture-Concert Series presents diverse programs to enrich the cultural life of the campus, community, and region.

To nominate a speaker or presenter for a future Lecture-Concert Series event, please contact one of the committee members listed on The Honors College web site, listed under the heading of Lecture-Concert.