FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION:
May 10, 2003

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MIKE PETERS TO ADDRESS 64th SESSION OF MISSOURI BOYS STATE

(Warrensburg, MO) – Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonist Mike Peters will accept the 15th Annual George W. Lehr Memorial Speakers Chair and deliver the keynote address at the general assembly of the 64th session of The American Legion Boys State of Missouri, Inc. on Tuesday evening, June 17th at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg.

Peters will address nearly 1,000 of Missouri’s finest high school juniors who are participating in a week-long citizenship and leadership training program sponsored by the Missouri American Legion.

Peters is recognized as one of our nation's most prominent cartoon artists for his outstanding work as both a political and comic strip cartoonist. He’s best known for his award winning comic strip Mother Goose and Grimm, which appears in over 800 newspapers worldwide and consistently places in the top 10 most popular ratings. His political cartoons, syndicated by Tribune Media Services, appear in over 400 newspapers worldwide. His political work is featured frequently in such publications as Newsweek, Time, U.S. News and World Report, and The New Republic.

Peters is particularly proud of his animated editorial cartoons, “Peters Postscripts” which aired on NBC's Nightly News in 1981. It was the first time animated editorial cartoons appeared regularly on a prime-time network news program. Peters also has done a 14-part interview series, The World of Cartooning with Mike Peters, for PBS.

Peters has served as the staff political cartoonist for the Dayton (OH) Daily News since 1969 and is the author of several political cartoon books and a number of books containing collections of his Mother Goose and Grimm comic strips. Grimmy, the animated series first appeared on CBS Television in 1991 and now is syndicated in several countries around the world.
Peters appearance at Missouri Boys State is somewhat of a homecoming. He participated in the Missouri Boys State program in 1960 while attending Christian Brothers College Prep High School in St. Louis. His fond memories of the program have inspired him to appear at the 2003 Boys State session.

The George W. Lehr Memorial Speakers Chair was established in 1988 as part of the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Missouri Boys State program. The Lehr Chair was created to honor the late Missouri State Auditor George W. Lehr, who was a Boys State participant in his youth and a tireless supporter of Missouri Boys State during his public life. The Lehr Chair was designed to assist the Boys State program in bringing the finest names in public service to the yearly Boys State session to interact with its participants.

The American Legion Boys State of Missouri will be held on the campus of Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, MO beginning on Saturday, June 14 and concluding on June 21, 2003. The participants must have completed their junior year in high school and must have distinguished themselves as leaders in their high school and community.

Other speakers scheduled to participate during the week-long program are Missouri Governor Bob Holden, Missouri Secretary of State Matt Blunt, Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon, Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court Stephen Limbaugh and others.

George W. Lehr Memorial Speakers Chair

2003 Mike Peters
Syndicated Political Cartoonist and Creator of Mother Goose and Grimm comic strip.

2002 Bill Bradley
Former Presidential Candidate and Former U.S. Senator

2001 William S. Cohen
Former Secretary of Defense

2000 Lisa Myers
National Correspondent for NBC News - Washington

1999 Rev. Emmanuel Cleaver
Minister and Former Mayor of Kansas City

1998 David R. Gergen
Former U.S. Presidential Advisor

1997 William J. Perry
Former U.S. Secretary of Defense

1996 Lamar Alexander
Former Presidential Candidate and Former U.S. Secretary of Education

1995 Dr. Robert M. Gates
Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

1994 Paul E. Tsongas
Former Presidential Candidate and Senator from Massachusetts

1993 Edward D. "Chip" Robertson
Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice

1992 Senator Christopher "Kit" Bond
Former MO Attorney General, Governor and current senior U.S. Senator

1991 Thomas DeFrank
Author and White House Correspondent for Newsweek Magazine

1990 Robert F. Hyland
Corporate Vice-President CBS Radio, St. Louis

1989 William Proxmire
Former U. S. Senator from Wisconsin

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