Speakers Trust 2004 Key Note Speaker

Carlisle, PA (February 24, 2004) — The Honorable George J. Mitchell: Senator, Lawyer, and Internationally Renowned Peacemaker to Speak at The Dickinson School of Law as the Speakers Trust 2004 Key Note Speaker.

On behalf of the Speakers Trust of the Student Bar Association, I am pleased to announce Senator George J. Mitchell as our 2004 Speakers Trust Key Note Speaker. The Senator, at his February 26, 2004, presentation, will speak on his perspectives for peace in the current world. His presentation is open to the Law School community and friends of The Penn State Dickinson School of Law.

From 1980 to 1995, George J. Mitchell served as a United States Senator (D-ME). Moreover, from 1989 to 1995 he served as the Senate majority leader. Throughout his career in the Senate, Senator Mitchell enjoyed bipartisan respect. It was said, “there is not a man, woman or child in the Capitol who does not trust George Mitchell.” For six consecutive years, a bipartisan group of senior congressional aides named Senator Mitchell as “the most respected member” of the Senate.

After his tenure in the Senate, Senator Mitchell served as chairperson of the Peace Negotiations in Northern Ireland. Under his leadership, the governments of the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, as well as the political parties of Northern Ireland, agreed to the historic Good Friday Agreement, which ended decades of political and religious conflict in Northern Ireland. In May 1998, the voters of Ireland, both North and South, in a referendum, overwhelmingly endorsed the agreement. For his service there, he received numerous awards and honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the highest civilian honor the U.S. government can give; the Philadelphia Liberty Medal; the Truman Institute Peace Prize; the German (Hesse) Peace Prize; and the United Nations (UNESCO) Peace Prize.

At the request of President Clinton, Prime Minister Barak, and Chairman Arafat, Senator Mitchell served as chairman of an International Fact Finding Committee on violence in the Middle East. The committee's recommendation, widely known as The Mitchell Report, received endorsements from the Bush administration, the European Union, and by many other governments.

Senator Mitchell is the author of four books. With his colleague, Senator Bill Cohen of Maine, he wrote Men of Zeal, describing the Iran-Contra investigation. In 1990, Senator Mitchell wrote World on Fire, describing the threat of the greenhouse effect and recommending steps to curb it. His next book, published in 1997, was Not For America Alone: The Triumph of Democracy and The Fall of Communism. In 1999, Senator Mitchell wrote Making Peace, an account of his experience in Northern Ireland.

Paul J. Toner President The Speakers Trust

Sean Farrell President Student Bar Association