Garry Moore, news anchor for WEEK-TV Peoria, will use drums to help get the message of his lecture across.

The title of Moore’s lecture is “The Need for Drum Majors.”

“I’ll bring a set of drums and other percussion instruments and do an interactive

presentation with the students,” Moore said.

Moore will give a lecture 6 p.m. Friday in the Lumpkin Hall auditorium. The National Association of Black Journalists is sponsoring the event.

“Moore will talk about the responsibilities journalists have in telling people’s stories,” said Sally Turner, adviser of NABJ.

Spenser Nobles, president of NABJ, said the organization has wanted Moore to come to Eastern for a while.

“Garry Moore was chosen based on his prominence and his long career, including the things he does outside of the journalism field,” Nobles said. “Moore wants to get the students involved with the lecture,”

Moore is both a news anchor and senior producer of News 25 Today on WEEK-TV Peoria. News 25 Today is a morning news show.

Moore plans for his lecture to be entertaining as well as educational.

“The topics of the lecture center around the need to employ critical thinking skills, challenge authority and have the courage to take chances,” Moore said.

Students are not usually aware of their full potential, he added.

“College is a crucial time in the development of young minds,” Moore said. “As overused as it sounds, young people are indeed the future. But I’m not convinced – based on my encounters with today’s youth – that they realize how important they are.”

Moore is an experienced speaker and has lectured at numerous events.

“I have spoken at several colleges, high schools, prisons, churches – you name it,” Moore said “The National Association of Black Journalists asked that I come and speak here.”

Students will learn from Moore’s lecture to see the world through their eyes.

“The main message is the need to assert yourself,” Moore said. “Study hard. Learn as much as you can about the world, and then step out there and do something positive.”

Nobles said this lecture would help students with their future plans.

“I think it is important for students to hear him speak so that they are more prepared for what their futures entail. And what better way to know that than to hear it from a professional?” Nobles said.

Moore has also traveled extensively, with each trip resulting in a story. That, he said, would also be included in his presentation.

“I have traveled quite a bit – to Africa and the Caribbean – and I think I have some interesting stories to share,” Moore said. “There will certainly be some surprises during the presentation that I don’t want to give away.”

Ashley Mefford can be reached at 581-7942 or at almefford@eiu.edu.