News

Gridiron, Ballroom and Boardroom Legend:

Emmitt Smith, Pro Football Hall of Famer, Dancing With The Stars champion, motivational speaker and writer, entrepreneur and philanthropist, will deliver the Lackawanna County Library System’s 2014 American Masters Lecture on Tuesday, September 23 in the Scranton Cultural Center.

The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. and be followed by questions from the audience.

An All-American at the University of Florida, Smith was a first round draft pick for the Dallas Cowboys in 1990. The NFL’s leading rusher with 18,355 career yards, Smith helped the Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles and was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXVIII and league MVP in 1993.

Many more Americans got to know Smith in 2006 when he won the Mirror Ball trophy on ABC’s hit show, Dancing With The Stars. In2012, Smith returned for its All-Star season and reached the semifinals.

A successful businessman in Dallas, where he lives with his wife and their five children, he heads several companies there spanning real estate, construction and technology. Additonally, Smith is the author of Game On: Find Your Purpose, Pursue Your Dream, where he outlines the principles that have helped him succeed both on and off the field.

“We are excited to have Emmitt Smith join the list of distinguished individuals who have delivered the American Masters Lecture,” said Mary Garm, director of the Lackawanna County Library System. “He will appeal to a variety of audiences served by the Library System, from sports fans to business people, from dance enthusiasts to community leaders.

The American Masters Lecture is part of the Library System’s Matthew F. Flynn Library Lecture Series. It was established by a group of community-minded individuals who wanted to support the tradition of presenting important speakers in Lackawanna County. Among those providing grants and gifts in support of the American Masters Lecture are the Scranton Area Foundation and the Margaret Briggs Foundation.

Previous American Masters Lecture speakers have been author, journalist and film maker Sebastian Junger, author, actress, social critic and humorist Fran Lebowitz, theoretical physicist and futurist Michio Kaku, undersea explorer and Titanic discoverer Robert Ballard, and the late Congressman Charles Wilson, subject of the motion picture “Charlie Wilson’s War.”

Ongoing funding for the Lecture Series is provided by the Lackawanna County Office of Arts and Culture. It is part of the art, literature and performance collaboration of the Lackawanna County Library System, the Scranton Cultural Center and the Everhart Museum.

According to Mrs. Garm, tickets for the event can be obtained by showing a library card at any Lackawanna County Library System library or the Scranton Cultural Center box office. Tickets must be obtained prior to the event.