Retired White House physician to speak at Purdue
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Retired Navy Adm. Connie Mariano, physician to three American presidents and author of the book "The White House Doctor," will speak on Dec. 2 as part of Purdue University's Women of the White House series.
The talk is 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Lynn Hall, Room 1136. A reception precedes the talk at 4:30 p.m., and a book signing will follow from 6:30-7 p.m. Books will be sold by Folletts Bookstore.
"She is a trailblazer for women in the Navy," said Ambassador Carolyn Curiel, event organizer and a Purdue clinical professor of communication. "Her story is amazing: the daughter of a steward to the U.S. admirals, she became an admiral herself - the first of Filipino descent."
In addition to caring for presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and their families, Mariano also cared for visiting dignitaries. She was the first military woman to become the White House physician to a president and director of the White House medical unit. She retired from the Navy in 2001.
Curiel, who worked at the White House as special assistant to President Clinton, will introduce Mariano. At the White House, Curiel worked on what she called the president's "Opportunity Agenda," which focused on education, health, environment and race relations. In 1997 the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Curiel as ambassador to Belize, where she pursued American interests in a range of fields, including security, environment, border disputes, and trade and economic cooperation.
Currently, Curiel is directing Project IMPACT: The Intersection of Media, Policy and Communication Technology. This new Purdue program is working to connect faculty, students and the community with policymakers and influential Americans through events like the Women of the White House series. Project IMPACT also is leading an effort to bring a 2012 presidential debate to Purdue. In addition to Project IMPACT, other sponsors for the Dec. 2 event are the Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence, Purdue College of Liberal Arts, Purdue Women Lead and the Women's Resource Office.
This is the third and final talk in the series. The first event featured C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb interviewing Curiel, and the second event featured Curiel interviewing Ambassador Carmen Lomellin.
Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Source: Carolyn Curiel, 765-496-2778, curiel@purdue.edu