Temple Grandin to Speak at SMU

Temple Grandin

Because I have an autistic son, I take it for granted that people know who Temple Grandin is. If you’ve never heard of her, just know this: She’s an inspiration to families like mine. Despite her autism, Grandin is the author of multiple books and is an authority in her field, animal science. Her life was also the subject of an award-winning film starring Claire Danes. Grandin will be at SMU’s McFarlin Auditorium on Thursday night, when she will speak at a fundraiser for Lone Star Puppy Raisers and Guide Dogs for the Blind. For tickets, click here.

By Dan Koller Oct. 4, 2011 | 1:32 pm | 4 Comments | Comments RSS
4 comments to "Temple Grandin to Speak at SMU"
  1. ELH @ October 4, 2011 at 9:52 pm
    Dr. Grandin is absolutely amazing. She is a fantastic speaker and perhaps the world’s expert on animal behavior in livestock animals. Her books on both animals and autism are amazing. She does all of this not despite her autism but because of it. The fact that she is a person with autism allows her a very specific insight into the behavior of humans and animals alike. Sometimes our challenges in life are our greatest gifts.

  2. zaner @ October 4, 2011 at 10:06 pm
    Thanks for the heads-up on this, Dan. Such a fascinating person. Had no idea she was coming to McFarlin. My wife and I will be there for sure.

    Does the university have a generalized “SMU Events” email distribution list that I’m unaware of, that would have alerted me to this lecture sooner? I know there are department-specific alert lists, and library event alert lists, and that sort of thing, but I don’t think any of the lists I’m on mentioned this event.

    (Come to think of it, UT has an iPhone app that gives you info on events like this–that is to say, info on pretty much everything interesting that’s happening on campus. I use it whenever we head down to Austin. Does SMU have anything similar? If not, they should.)

  3. yvonne @ October 6, 2011 at 7:03 am
    This is an amazing woman.. you will enjoy her so very much.. and if you haven’t seen the movie of her life TEMPLE GRANDIN – you must get it.. it really let’s you see even with her autism.. she continues to defy the odds. All the Dr’s wanted her to be in an institution and thanks to the love and foresight of her mother… she not only didn’t go to an institution .. she went to school, got a PhD and is a professor. Well done and what a lovely lovely woman.

  4. Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Oct. 6 | FrontBurner @ October 6, 2011 at 11:45 am
    [...] a lecture about the humanizing influence of animals. People Newspapers editor Dan Kollar blogged about it yesterday, but it’s worth mentioning here. Grandin, who is autistic, is an inspiration in many ways. [...]

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