Purdue News

May 12, 2000 Purdue conference focuses on home and family WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Keeping the home fires burning sometimes requires a little stoking. That's what Purdue University's 87th Annual Home and Family Conference is intended to do. Motivational speakers, workshops, field trips and entertainment are the order of the day at the conference, which runs June 6-9 on the West Lafayette campus. The conference is sponsored by Purdue's Consumer and Family Sciences Extension. "We all have a home and we all have a family, and the conference provides ways to improve our quality of life," said Betty Krejci, assistant Extension program leader and conference coordinator. Krejci said the conference usually draws 600 to 700 people. Traditionally, those have been women, but growing numbers of men are attending, she said. The conference offers something for everyone. More than 25 workshops cover subjects as diverse as food safety and telemarketing scams. Field trips include tours of a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Moses Fowler House Historic Museum and three horticulture gardens. Donna Jordan, a TV news anchor in Springboro, Ohio, will deliver the June 8 keynote address at 8 a.m. She'll share steps to success and inspirational stories from her book, "Failure Is Not an Option." The June 8 luncheon speaker is Lori Borgman, a columnist for the Indianapolis Star. Borgman will take an amusing look at family life, drawing from her book, "I Was a Better Mother Before I Had Kids." The keynote speaker June 9 is Purdue entomology professor Tom Turpin. His topic for the 8 a.m. presentation: "Leadership Isn't for Cowards." Among the entertainment planned is the Indiana Extension Homemakers Association County Chorus, a historical style bridal gown show, and "Legacy Quilt," a theatrical and musical presentation set in Texas. Registration is $40 for the entire conference or $30 each day. There are additional fees for the trips, entertainment, on-campus housing and lunches. Deadline for housing reservations is May 15. For registration information, contact Barbara Meyer at (765) 494-7221 or (800) 359-2968 ext. 92M, by fax at (765) 494-0567, or by e-mail at bbmeyer@conf.purdue.edu. CONTACT: Krejci, (765) 494-8252; krejcib@cfs.purdue.edu Compiled by Beth Forbes, (765) 494-2722, bforbes@aes.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page