Captain James Lovell to Speak at IIT Event

Chicago, IL — May 5, 2004 —

James Lovell Jr., one of the great explorers and heroes of our time, will share his courageous story of survival, ingenuity and triumph of the human spirit, on the campus of Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Saturday, June 12, 2004, as part of IIT’s annual Alumnifest weekend.

Lovell’s keynote address entitled “Apollo 13, A Successful Failure,” will be held at 4 p.m. at the Hermann Union Building Auditorium, 3241 S. Federal Street. There are a limited number of free seats available to the general public but must be reserved in advance by contacting Ellen Woods, director of IIT Alumni Relations at 1.800.IIT.ALUM (800.448.2586).

Chosen in September 1962 for the space program, Lovell successfully executed various commands in the Gemini Mission Program. His fourth and final flight was the perilous Apollo 13 mission in 1970. As spacecraft commander, Lovell and his crew successfully modified their lunar module into an effective lifeboat when their cryogenic oxygen system failed. Their emergency activation and operation of the lunar module systems conserved both electrical power and water in sufficient supply to ensure their survival in space and their safe return to Earth.

Today he is the president of Lovell Communications, a business devoted to disseminating information about the U.S. Space Program.

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting technological university awarding degrees in the sciences, mathematics and engineering, as well as architecture, psychology, design, business and law. IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum prepares the university’s 6,200 students for leadership roles in an increasingly complex and culturally diverse global workplace.