Native Texan John J. Nance, a preeminent aviation analyst for network television, will give the 2007 George W. Jalonick III and Mary Cockrell Jalonick Memorial Distinguished Lecture on Saturday, June 16, at The University of Texas at Dallas.
Nance’s lecture, titled “The Teamwork Revolution: The Amazing Role of Aviation in Changing the Modern World,” will take place at 4 p.m. in the university’s McDermott Library Auditorium (MC 2.410). The event, which is free and open to the public, was organized by the library’s Special Collections Department through an endowment established by the late George W. Jalonick IV in memory of his parents.
“Having John Nance as our Jalonick lecturer is indeed an honor,” said UT Dallas’ Erik D. Carlson, Ph.D., coordinator of special collections. “John is an expert in the contemporary airline business, and his lecture will give insight into the many contributions of this indispensable industry.”
Besides being the aviation analyst for ABC’s World News Tonight and aviation editor for the network’s Good Morning America program, Nance is an attorney with a Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University School of Law, a decorated Air Force pilot and a New York Times best-selling author of 17 fiction and non-fiction books. He has appeared as a guest on Larry King Live, The NEWSHOUR with Jim Lehrer, Oprah, Nova and The Today Show.
Nance is an internationally recognized air safety analyst and advocate. He is a founding board member and is on the executive committee of the National Patient Safety Foundation. He is a veteran of both Vietnam and operations in Desert Storm/Desert Shield. He has piloted a wide variety of aircraft, including most of the Boeing line and the Air Force C-141, and he has logged more than 13,000 hours of flight in his commercial and Air Force careers combined.
Among his non-fiction works are Splash of Colors, Blind Trust, On Shaky Ground, What Goes Up and Golden Boy. Among his fiction titles are Final Approach, Scorpion Strike, Phoenix Rising, Pandora’s Clock and Medusa’s Child. The latter two books aired as major, successful two-part mini-series on television.
Nance grew up in Dallas and currently lives in University Place, WA. In 2002, he was given SMU’s Distinguished Alumni Award. He spent three years with ABC’s Dallas affiliate WFAA Channel 8 before joining ABC as a broadcast journalist.
A reception will follow the presentation in the Special Collections Department on the third floor of the library. Seating is limited in the auditorium and there are no reservations. Please call 972-883-2570 for more information.
About UT Dallas
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 14,500 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UT Dallas, please visit the university’s website at www.utdallas.edu.
Contact Tom Koch, McDermott Library, (972) 883-4951, tkoch@utdallas.edu