Former U.S. Defense Secretary To Speak At CWU

March 31, 2005

Contact: Dr. Elizabeth Street (509-963-2111/fax 509-963-2306/e-mail: streetl@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - "Anyone who considers using a weapon of mass destruction against the United States or its allies must first consider the consequences... We would not specify in advance what our response would be, but it would be both overwhelming and devastating."

Those are the words of former U.S. Defense Secretary William J. Perry, who will present the next Central Washington University Presidential Speaker Series address Wednesday, April 20. It will be held at a special time; 4 p.m. in McConnell Auditorium.

His free, public presentation, on current events involving national and international security, is part of a yearlong "America on the World Stage" series.

CWU President Jerilyn S. McIntyre established the series to provide an additional source of intellectual stimulation on campus.

Perry was the 19th U.S. secretary of defense, serving from February 1994 to January 1997 in the Clinton Administration. During his tenure, he directed U.S. military deployments to Bosnia, Haiti, Korea and the Persian Gulf; was involved with the 1994 creation of the "Partnership for Peace," which helps countries prepare to operate jointly with NATO forces; and managed a military drawdown following the end of the Cold War.

An expert in foreign policy, national security and arms control, Perry also served as under secretary of defense for research and engineering, from 1977 to 1981, where he was instrumental in the development of stealth aircraft technology.

During a 1997 farewell ceremony in Perry's honor, President Bill Clinton presented Perry with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, which recognizes exceptional meritorious service.

An Army Corps of Engineers veteran, Perry served in Japan during World War II. He also twice received the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal, along with the Outstanding Civilian Service medals from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Defense Intelligence Agency, NASA and Coast Guard. In addition, he was awarded commendations from the governments of Germany, England, France, Korea, Albania, Poland, Ukraine, Bahrain, Slovenia and Hungary.

Now the Michael and Barbara Berberian Professor at Stanford University, Perry also serves as a senior fellow at Stanford Institute for International Studies and co-director of the Preventive Defense Project, a research collaboration of Stanford and Harvard Universities.

Perry has also had positions on the board of directors for several high-tech companies. His business experience includes as founder and president of the electronics firm ESL, Inc. and founder and chairman of Technology Strategies & Alliances, an advisory and management-consulting firm. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Born Oct. 11, 1927 in Vandergrift, Pa., Perry received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Stanford and a Ph.D. from Penn State, all in mathematics.

For more information about his CWU presentation, or for persons of disability to arrange for reasonable accommodation, call (509) 963-2111, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963-2143.