With a commitment to serving the community in all aspects of speech and debate through volunteering, hosting, judging and competing, the UH Forensic Society is accustomed to giving back. The organization will put a new twist on that concept Friday, Nov. 2 when it honors some of the outstanding members of its past during the fifth annual reunion of the UH Forensic Society. A host of dignitaries, including State Rep. Sylvester Turner and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, have been invited to attend the event, whose theme is “A Celebration of the Women of the UH Forensic Society.”

Honorees include:

• Pat Stallings Kruppa, who in 1957 was the first woman to be named “Top Speaker” at the U.S. National Championships, also known as “The West Point National Tournament.” She now is a retired professor from the University of Texas department of history.
• Linda Listrom, a member of UH’s debate team in the early 1970s and currently a partner with the Chicago law firm of Jenner & Block.
• Barbara Radnofsky, a member of UH’s debate team in the mid-1970s and a candidate for the U.S. Senate. She is a retired partner with the Houston law firm of Vinson & Elkins.
• Dannett English, a member of the UH Forensic Society who graduated in 2006. She is singularly responsible for the development of the current UH Society, which was re-established in 2002. She is a senior auditor with the accounting firm of Deloitte/Young.

A lifetime achievement award will be presented to Philip Zelikow, formerly head of the 911 Commission. He is currently on the faculty of the University of Virginia School of Law.

The UH Forensic Society was founded in 1951, but eventually disbanded because of funding cuts. In 2001, Michael Fain revived the program with the support of Vice President of Student Affairs Elwyn C. Lee and The Honors College. Since taking over, Fain has restructured the direction and purpose of the debate program, which now has almost 150 members, by involving the team in community service and debate tournaments for local middle and high school students. Thirteen members have won national championships since the program’s revival in 2001, and the society has received the National Community Service Award for two consecutive years.

Tickets, which are available at the door, are $60 for the public, $40 for current UH students. For additional information, contact Michael Fain at 713-743-6038 or mfain@uh.edu.