Award-winning journalist John Quiñones to deliver LBJ Distinguished Lecture

John Quiñones, the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist, will deliver the LBJ Distinguished Lecture at Texas State University with a YouTube Livestream at 6 p.m. on Nov. 9.

Quiñones' moderated discussion, "Upward and Onward: Opportunity Through Education," is free and open to the public, although advance registration is required at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/john-quinones-registration-127369885757. The lecture will be presented in cooperation with the Common Experience at Texas State.

Quiñones will discuss the role Upward Bound played in his life with moderator DaLyah Jones, a first-generation Texas State alumna and staff writer for The Texas Observer. Quiñones will also talk about the opportunities that higher education provides, President Lyndon B. Johnson’s legacy in education—in conjunction with the 55th anniversary of the signing the Higher Education Act—and how to inspire young people through education.

A lifetime of “never taking no for an answer” has taken Quiñones from migrant farm work and poverty to more than 30 years at ABC News and the anchor desk at 20/20 and Primetime. Along the way, he broke through barriers, won the highest accolades and became a role model for many. 

A San Antonio native, Quiñones credits the federal anti-poverty program Upward Bound for putting him on the path to success. He earned his bachelor's degree in speech communication from St. Mary's University and his master's from the Columbia University School of Journalism. He worked as a news anchor for KPRC-TV in Houston before joining ABC News in 1982. He has reported for Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight and Nightline. As host and creator of the highly rated, hidden camera ethical dilemma newsmagazine show What Would You Do? Quiñones has literally become “the face of doing the right thing” to millions of fans. 

The 2020-2021 Common Experience theme is "Dynamics." When people discuss dynamics, they are talking about movement. Dynamics is motion — but it is more than that. Dynamics are the motivating forces behind everything, everywhere. There are physical forces, moral forces and driving forces. The dynamics in growth, change, inspiration and action can be seen and felt. The Common Experience will consider the movement from where one is to where one will be, approaching dynamics both literally and metaphorically, from the observations of astrophysics to the momentum of daily life.

For more information, contact Twister Marquiss at twister@txstate.edu or (512) 245-3579.

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About the LBJ Lecture

The annual Lyndon Baines Johnson Lecture, initiated in 1982 to honor the former president and Texas State graduate, recognizes the importance of education to the continuing prosperity of the nation. Through the series, Texas State works to perpetuate the former president’s high educational ideals by bringing outstanding individuals to campus to meet with students and faculty and present public lectures. Previous lecturers include former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, poet Maya Angelou, former President Gerald Ford, filmmaker Robert Rodriguez and recording artist Common.