Lynn Trefzger remembers wanting to play with her friends instead of performing her ventriloquist act at a hospital in Cleveland at 12 years old.

Although she was in a bad mood, her mother made her go, since she volunteered to perform.

After entertaining the patients, Trefzger talked to the crowd with her dummy.

Doctors and nurses started crying and making a commotion when Trefzger’s dummy started talking with a 9-year-old girl.

Trefzger thought she was doing something wrong because of the employees’ reactions until she found out the girl hadn’t spoke to anyone for two months after being shot by a gun in the back, paralyzing her body.

After that day, Trefzger knew she wanted to turn her ventriloquist talent into something much more.

Trefzger picked her first dummy, Simon, out of a Sears catalog when she was 9 years old and started performing at birthday parties and events.

“I was a little shy when I was little, so having a buddy took all the attention off me and onto the puppet,” she said. “And I got away with a lot more stuff.”

Trefzger’s popularity grew as she got older and more people wanted to see her act.

While attending the University of Akron in Ohio, Trefzger’s career started becoming successful and at 20 years old, she began traveling to colleges nationwide and worked with Disney cruise ships.

With the amount of business received, Trefzger decided to take a year off college and focus on her career.

Although she planned on returning to college, she never made it back.

“I spent a lot of college years seeing the world and I would have never been able to see those places if I didn’t do what I did,” she said. “I always wished I got my degree, but I wouldn’t give up the experiences I’ve had.”

The Ohio native knew ventriloquism was what she wanted to do after getting her first dummy.

“I never had a real job,” she said. “I worked the paper route and babysat a little, but that was about it.”

As the fourth child of eight siblings, Trefzger said her family supported her career decision and gave her feedback when needed.

“It was great being in a big family, it was like a built-in audience,” she said. “Everyone was very proud of me, but I never had room for a big head. You just can’t have a big head in a big family.”

Trefzger works with multiple dummies when performing. Two include Chloe, who has the personality of a 3-year-old, and Camel, who is always intoxicated.

“Each character has its own personality, which are geared toward different audience members,” she said. “So if you don’t like one, then wait, because there might be another you do like.”

Trefzger said it takes a while to introduce a new dummy to an audience.

“Sometimes, what I picture in my head and view being funny might not go over real well,” she said. “It takes a while to develop a new dummy and feel comfortable with it.”

Trefzger said the most difficult part of work is being away from her family.

The ventriloquist got married when she was 32 years old and has five children.

“I never wanted a big fortune or fame. I’m not out to change the world,” she said. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years and I still enjoy it, and my family is proud. My kids are happy and healthy and that is my major goal.”

Gerri Abrahamsen, the vice president of DCA productions and women’s management company, has worked closely with Trefzger for 20 years.

They met at a ventriloquist convention in Fort Mitchell, Ky.

“Lynn is very funny, she’s a little on the reserved side, but is very quick; she’s very witty,” Abrahamsen said.

In 1994, Trefzger won the national TV show competition, “Star Search,” and although her manager was proud of her accomplishment, it wasn’t Trefzger’s winning that impressed her. It was her sensitivity towards the other contestants.

Abrahamsen said Trefzger competed against children and adults during “Star Search” and the children would get upset backstage if they didn’t win the competition.

“Lynn talked to the kids backstage and made them laugh.” Abrahamsen said. “She told them if they won, then wonderful. But if not, it’s not the end of the world. It always amazed me the kind of affect she has on people.”

Besides winning “Star Search,” Trefzger has performed with Jeff Foxworthy, Ray Romano, The Smothers Brothers, Drew Carey, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.

She has also appeared on TV shows like ABC’s “America’s Super Showcase,” TNN’s “The Statler Brother’s Show,” A&E’s “Comedy on the Road” and Lifetime’s “Girl’s Night Out.”

University Board, Parent’s Club and the University Union are co-sponsors of Trefzger’s free appearance at 8 tonight in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Some UB members saw Trefzger’s performance at the National Association for Campus Activities, a convention that allows UB members to book entertainers at a discounted price.

Andrew Hubbard, UB Special Events Coordinator, said he enjoyed Trefzger’s innovative performance and UB members wanted to find someone who would be appealing to all audience members during Family Weekend.

“You have students with their younger siblings, parents and even grandparents, and the atmosphere in which Lynn creates is simply brilliant,” he said.

Hubbard said he thinks it is important to have events and entertainers for Family Weekend because it shows families the university has more to offer outside the classroom.

“Parents come down to not only be with their loved ones, but to also see what EIU has to offer other than education,” he said. “Because we all know that the educational success of a student relies not solely on the professors, but the environment in which that student lives.”