Presentation free, open to public; sponsorship opportunities available to meet Ripken
Baseball’s all-time ironman Cal Ripken Jr. is the keynote speaker for Missouri State University’s Public Affairs Conference. His presentation, which will be held at 8 p.m. April 14 in JQH Arena, is entitled Get in the Game. His appearance is sponsored by the Missouri State University Foundation and Presenting Sponsor, Chevy Dealers of the Ozarks.
“The Missouri State Foundation is pleased to present nationally-known speakers to our community, students, faculty and staff,” said Brent Dunn, executive director of the Missouri State University Foundation. “Mr. Ripken will address elements of ethical citizenship and perseverance – the strong will to succeed, to be consistent and to have conviction.”
The Missouri State University Foundation is sponsoring a private reception and conversation with Ripken at 5 p.m. for $1,000 per person, which includes an autographed baseball, opportunity for a personal visit and photo with Cal Ripken, entrance into the VIP meet and greet reception, and a baseball themed dinner, along with VIP reserved seating at the convocation.
For those interested in the reception alone, the VIP meet and greet reception will take place at 5:30 p.m. for $500 per person and includes a photo with Cal Ripken, hors d’oeuvres and refreshments, as well as reserved seating at the convocation. For more information, contact Dunn at (417) 836-6666.
Ripken’s career
Ripken retired from baseball in October 2001 after 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. His name appears in the record books repeatedly, most notably as one of only eight players in history to achieve 400 home runs and 3,000 hits. On July 29, 2007, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Ripken received the third highest percentage of votes in history, collecting the highest vote total ever by voters.
In 1995, Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s Major League record for consecutive games played (2,130) and in 1996 he surpassed Japanese great Sachio Kinugasa’s streak of 2,215 straight games. Ripken voluntarily ended his streak on Sept. 20, 1998, after playing 2,632 consecutive games. Although he began and finished his career at third base, Cal is still best known for redefining the position of shortstop.
Support for youth baseball
Ripken is using the platform that baseball has provided him to help grow the game he loves at the grassroots level. After his playing career ended, he started this effort with the construction of a one-of-a-kind baseball complex in his hometown of Aberdeen, Maryland. The Aberdeen Project consists of Ripken Stadium and the Ripken Youth Baseball Academy. Ripken Stadium is a state-of-the-art minor league ballpark that is home to the Aberdeen IronBirds, the Class A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The Ripken Youth Baseball Academy hosts ballplayers and teams from across the country for camps and tournaments during the spring, summer and fall.
The academy is also the permanent home of the Cal Ripken World Series played each August. It includes 16 teams of 11- and 12-year-olds from all over the world and crowns the champion of the Cal Ripken Division of Babe Ruth League, Inc.
Public Affairs Conference
The Public Affairs Conference keynote speech lecture is free and open to the public, but tickets are required to attend. Tickets can be picked up at Hammons Hall, JQH Arena or Plaster Student Union ticket offices beginning Jan. 13. Tickets may be ordered through the ticket office by calling (417) 836-7678 or (toll-free) 1-888-476-7849; but a shipping and handling fee will apply.
For more information about the public affairs conference, contact Mary Ann Wood, director of public affairs support, at (417) 836-5073 or MaryAnnWood@MissouriState.edu.
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