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In celebration of its centennial year, Lee University will host a variety of speakers to present more than 30 seminars taking place across campus at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 2.

The speakers – Lee alumni, faculty, community leaders, and other guests – represent diverse experience and knowledge from a variety of fields and topics including archaeology, education, filmmaking, government, language, prop and set design, rural medicine, social justice, and more.

Kevin Brooks, mayor of Cleveland and a Lee alumnus, will present “From Medlin Hall to City Hall.” He will share his journey of being “called to serve” in public service as a local planning commissioner, state representative, and now mayor.

Matthew Brumlow is a Lee alumnus and resident actor with the American Blues Theater in Chicago, Illinois. Having performed with various regional theatres and received multiple awards, Brumlow will present “So You Want to be an Actor?” His presentation will discuss the life of the professional actor from preparation to performance.

Carolyn Dirksen, distinguished professor emeritus at Lee, has been a full-time faculty member at the university for half of the life of the university. She will present on “100 Years of Lee,” detailing Lee’s history from its humble beginning on January 1, 1918, to the present day. Audience members will hear the story of Lee from a faculty member who worked on the first regional accreditation and witnessed Lee’s transformation from a small, sectarian college to a top-rated private university.

Mark Harris will present “A Life of Music and Worship,” sharing stories and lessons from his experiences both as a worship leader and songwriter/member of Christian pop quartet 4Him, which produced 27 hit singles and won 10 Dove awards. Attendees of the seminar will hear from a graduate of Lee who has recorded three certified gold albums and also served as a worship pastor, leading congregations of all sizes in worship.

Tripp Phillips, a 7th grader from Dalton, Georgia, will share the story of his invention, Le-Glue. In 3rd grade, Tripp complained to his father, scientist and Lee alum Lee Phillips, about his LEGO creations falling apart, and the two worked together to develop Le-Glue, a product that glues blocks together, but releases when soaked in water. They recently presented this product on Shark Tank, scoring a business deal with “shark” investor Kevin O’Leary.

Also among the seminars will be a panel titled “We Survived the Ellis Hall Fire,” featuring three Lee alumni to share their experiences of waking up to their dorm engulfed in flame 25 years ago.

These are only a few of the numerous presenters on the morning seminar roster, which also includes Bruce Deel, founder and CEO of City of Refuge; Vanessa Carey, vice president of women’s services for Atlanta Mission; Harry Hargrave, Museum of the Bible; Mitch Harris, former pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals; and Drew Privette, deputy director of international projects for Samaritan’s Purse.

All seminars are free and open to the public.

For a full list of the Centennial seminars, their locations, and other information about the Centennial Celebration, click here.