Lt. Gen. Russel Honore to speak at Southern University

Southern University alumnus Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré (U.S. Army Retired) will speak to students and the public at 11 a.m., August 23 in the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union. Honoré, the author of two books, will hold a book signing after his presentation.

Honoré, a 1971 Southern graduate, also has an honorary doctorate in public administration from Southern. He is one of nine military generals who received their undergraduate degrees from Southern.

The Lakeland native retired from the military in 2008. He gained national celebrity when he brought some order to the chaos in New Orleans in the early days after the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. He was the designated commander of Joint Task Force Katrina responsible for coordinating military relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina-affected areas across the Gulf Coast.

He is currently a senior scientist with The Gallup Organization, where he is working on developing questions to determine levels of preparedness. He is also a CNN preparedness contributor.

Honoré's two books are both devoted to being prepared in the event of disasters.

He has authored, Survival: How Being Prepared Can Keep You and Your Family Safe and How a Culture of Preparedness Can Save You and Your Family from Disasters.