First Woman and American to Row Solo across Atlantic to Speak at Symposium

Watch McClure’s “The Lessons Sports Have to Teach Us” presentation on Westminster’s YouTube channel.

Tori Murden McClure, the first woman and American to row solo and unassisted across the Atlantic Ocean, will be one of the special guest speakers at the 2013 Westminster College Symposium “Global Sport A Common Language in a Diverse World” September 17-18 where she will speak about the positive effect sports have on our lives and our culture.

She also holds the distinction of being the first woman and one of six Americans who were the first to travel overland to the geographic South Pole, skiing 750 miles from the ice shelf to the pole.

McClure will be the opening plenary speaker of the Symposium (#WCSymposium), presenting on the topic “The Lessons Sports Have To Teach Us” from 9 a.m.-10:15 a.m., Tuesday, September 17, in Champ Auditorium.

Symposium attendees will then have the opportunity to interact in a “One on One with Tori Murden McClure” from 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. in Room 204 of the Coulter Science Center on campus.

Both of McClure’s sessions are free and open to the public and the media.

McClure’s first solo attempt to cross the Atlantic in 1998 was cut short by a hurricane.  The next year she was successful, rowing for 81 days from the Canary Islands to Guadeloupe, a trip of approximately 3,000 miles.

She wrote a memoir of her experience entitled A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean (2009).  Actress and author Candice Bergen said about it:  “Tori Murden McClure is one of the most remarkable women I have ever met; her journey across the ocean is equal only to her journey of the heart.  This is a story of courage, adventure, and personal discovery that will appeal to women and men of all ages.”

Her remarkable career path has led her through many interesting experiences, working as Chaplain of Boston City Hospital, a public policy analyst for the Mayor of Louisville, director of a shelter for homeless women and even assistant to boxer and humanitarian Muhammad Ali in the creation of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville.

Currently, she is President of Spalding University

McClure’s achievements have led to appearances on an array of national television programs, including Good Morning America, the Today Show, Oprah, Late Night with David Letterman, the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, Exhale and The Rosie O’Donnell Show.

She was the first woman to be awarded The Peter Byrd Trophy, given annually to an adventurer who demonstrates endurance, courage and tenacity in the face of adversity.  The award was presented by famous adventurer Thor Heyerdahl.

She also received a Special Victor Award.  Previous recipients included Wayne Gretsky, Carl Lewis, Walter Peyton, Kareen Abdul-Jabbar, Muhammad Ali and Jackie Joyne-Kersee.

McClure holds a master’s degree in divinity from Harvard University, a law degree from the University of Louisville Law School and a master of fine arts in writing from Spalding University.

In addition, she is a fully certified Emergency Medical Technician in both urban and wilderness areas and Chair of the Board of the National Outdoor Leadership School.

To learn about more of the speakers and presentations at the two-day Westminster Symposium September 17-18, those interested should visit the Symposium website.

Every year Westminster College cancels classes for two days so the entire Westminster community can attend lectures, panel discussions and presentations by noted experts on one particular subject of global interest.  The public and media are also invited to attend.

This year’s topic, “Global Sport A Common Language in a Diverse World?” seeks to understand why global sport can be both a force for greatness and a cause for concern and how it impacts entire societies the world over.

“Sport mirrors the human condition,” says Dr. Kurt Jefferson, Director of the Westminster Symposium and the Center for Engaging the World.  “How a culture views sport says a great deal about its values. That is why we are exploring the social, physiological, cultural, economic, political and historical aspects of global sport in this Symposium.”