Courtesy Photo
By Abigail Loop
Staff Writer
Baylor President and Chancellor Ken Starr will welcome to campus a family whose lives are chronicled in a well-known and best-selling book and film at this semester’s “On Topic With President Ken Starr.”
An event that happens each semester where Starr invites prominent guests to converse about contemporary issues, this semester’s “On Topic” will feature Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, whose story inspired the book by Micheal Lewis titled “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game” and the movie “The Blind Side.”
The event will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Waco Hall.
While admission is free, a ticket is required. Tickets may be picked up from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at the ticket office on the first floor of the Bill Daniel Student Center. Any remaining tickets will be distributed through the ticket office on a first-come, first-served basis through Monday. If there are any tickets left on Tuesday, they will be available at the Waco Hall ticket office beginning at 2 p.m.
Lori Fogleman, Baylor’s assistant vice president for media communications, said Baylor worked alongside the Baptist General Convention of Texas to choose a guest speaker for the event. This semester’s “On Topic” will be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the convention.
“The Baptist General Convention’s theme this year is ‘Live the Difference,’ so we wanted to find someone who embodied that theme and had a spirit of faith and action,” Fogleman said. “The Tuohys are deeply committed Christians and have a message to share that fits this theme.”
The story of the Tuohys involves the life-changing encounter between the Tuohy’s and Micheal Oher, a homeless teen turned first-round NFL draft pick with the support and love of the Tuohy family. The Tuohy’s have also written multiple inspirational books and also established the Making it Happen Foundation, an organization that promotes awareness, provides hope and improves the standard of living and quality of life for children fighting to survive.
Leigh Anne Tuohy said their mission is entirely motivated by their Christian faith and that helping children in need is the takeaway at the end of the day. While it is still surreal that a movie was made about her family’s life, she said she believes Hollywood did a good job.
“There are so many teens that fall through the cracks that just need a chance,” Tuohy said. “The movie and our mission are entirely God-driven. We didn’t turn the car around by accident. We didn’t see Michael by accident. God is just using ordinary people to tell a story and that’s who we are.”
Tuohy said she is looking forward to speaking with Starr and the fact that it will be in a conversational style makes it even better.
“That’s what makes it interesting, the fact that it’s not scripted,” she said. “It’s very enjoyable to do it off the cuff; it’s real. We’re very excited and look forward to seeing everyone. College kids can help, you’re never to young or old to help.”
