Actor, ex senator says leadership is one of society’s ‘most valuable commodities’

Actor and former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson spoke at the University of the Cumberlands Tuesday as part of the Forcht Group of Kentucky Center for Excellence in Leadership’s annual lecture series.

As an ex-presidential candidate, a former U.S. Senator, an attorney and an acclaimed actor, Fred Thompson knows a little something about the topic of leadership.

On Tuesday night, hundreds of people poured into a packed O. Wayne Rollins Center on the campus of the University of the Cumberlands to hear Thompson speak about inspirational leadership as part of the Forcht Group of Kentucky Center for Excellence in Leadership’s annual lecture series.

"Leadership is something that is one of the most valuable commodities in our society," Thompson noted. "Everybody is looking for it. Everybody talks about it. It is one of the most needed things in our society. That is why what the Center of Leadership here at the University of the Cumberlands is doing in that regard is so important."

Thompson first came to national prominence in 1973 as minority counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee. He later portrayed himself in the 1985 film "Marie" as a prosecutor in a high profile public corruption case in Tennessee. Since then Thompson has starred in numerous movies and television programs, including a stint on the NBC drama "Law and Order."
He served as a U.S. Senator from Tennessee for eight years and in 2008 made an unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

"I’m from the Washington D.C. area. I don’t know anything about inspirational leadership," Thompson joked at the start of his speech.

Thompson said that he learned in Washington D.C. that there are all different kinds of leadership.

For instance, Bob Dole was the senate leader at the time Thompson was senator and never asked him to vote one way or another on bills.

"He knew that I knew what he was hoping for in his position as leadership. I felt bad anytime I had to go against what I thought would make him happy," Thompson said. "I respected him. Bob knew how to use humor. He was one of the driest wits that I have every known."

When he got to the U.S. Senate, Thompson can remember when longtime Senator Strom Thurman came up to him and told him, "’Young man, I have my eye on you.’ He said, ‘One day you are going to be President of the United States.’"

Thompson felt pretty good about himself when Thurman made the statement. Although he was up in years, he certainly wasn’t senile.

About three weeks later, Thompson was riding in the elevator when he heard Thurman tell the young elevator operator, "Young man, I have my eye on you. Someday you are going to be President of the United States. Maybe he fared a little bit better than I did," Thompson noted.

Thompson noted one benefit of being a senator was having access to some places that others might not. As a senator he would occasional go down to Walter Reed military hospital and visit with the patients and remembers talking to one man, who was a double amputee but had a smile on his face.

When he asked the young man what he planned to do with his life, the young man told him that he had thought about working with under privileged kids. The man looked him with a straight face and said, "I think I ought to give something back."

Thompson said he couldn’t fathom someone, who was trying to learn to walk again, having such a thought about trying to turn their adversity around.

Thompson said that he was recently going through some adversity of his own and read a book by Dr. Norman Rosenthal titled, "The Gift of Adversity."

"He talks in there about the miraculous way we are made up. The way we are made to be able to deal with things. When adversity sometimes comes up you can use it as a stimulus to do other things," Thompson said.

One key point Rosenthal makes in the book is that no matter what is happening, you control what your attitude is going to be in dealing with that adversity.

The annual lecture series is made possible by an endowment from local business owners Dr. Terry and Marion Forcht, who founded the Forcht Group of Kentucky Center for Excellence in Leadership in 2006. The purpose of the Center is to provide programs and activities that enhance the development of leadership, character and good citizenship.

Past speakers in the series have included Roy Moore, Zell Miller, Stephen Covey, Ben Stein, Karl Rove, Mike Huckabee, Rudi Giuliani, Dr. Charles Krauthammer and Dr. Ben Carson.

University of the Cumberlands President Elect and CEO Dr. Larry Cockrum noted that inspirational leaders have a knack for consistently making good or great decisions, and are able to consider a wide ranger of parameters and mold that into a strategy with vision.

"Tonight is the 10th in a series that hosts internationally renowned household named speakers recognized for their character and leadership," Cockrum said.

"It is with our most sincere appreciation that we say thank you to Terry and Marion Forcht for all the support they have given this university. Without their kindness, monetary gifts to the Center of Excellence in Leadership programs like tonight would not be possible. Thank you Terry and Marion."

During Tuesday’s program, Cockrum and Thompson handed out leadership awards to several people, including: Dr. Travis Freeman, Heath Calhoun, Dr. Jada Daves and Shafer Bray Daves.

Freeman, a 1999 graduate of Corbin High School, lost his sight at age 12 due to a severe infection. He played backup center for the Corbin Redhounds from 1995-1998 as "America’s First Blind Football Player."

Freeman is currently an adjunct professor at the University of the Cumberlands and is President of the Freeman Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the truth that "disability does not equal inability."

The movie, "23 Blast", was loosely based on Freeman’s life as a blind high school football player and was filmed completely in Corbin.

Thompson noted that all four of the honorees had one common denominator, which is that they had dealt with adversity.

"You can’t talk about leadership without talking about adversity. They overcame adversity with courage. They would not let the adversity they had define them. They used the adversity that came at them in a way to benefit other people," Thompson noted.

During Tuesday’s ceremony, Cockrum and Lonnie Walden, secretary to the board of trustees, presented an honorary degree doctorate of laws degree to Stephen Robert Plaster, former president of Empire Gas Corporation.