Milton S. Eisenhower (MSE) Symposium chairs Gregor Feige and Audrey Henderson were notified Tuesday morning that Charlton Heston would no longer be able to speak Oct. 4, the date he was scheduled to speak as part of the MSE Symposium.
According to John Carter, Heston's public relations contact at the National Rifle Association (NRA), Heston's October and September schedule recently changed as a result of him being cast in a new movie that will be filmed on location in South America.
"The reality of the situation is that Mr. Heston is an actor first and the president of the NRA second, so it is unreasonable for us to expect him to pass up an acting opportunity to accommodate a speaking engagement," said Feige.
To this, Henderson added, "When we learned Tuesday that Mr. Heston would not be able to keep his commitment to speak on Oct. 4, his staff was just as disappointed as we were."
Feige and Henderson attempted to salvage their event by offering Heston alternate dates in late November and early December. When Carter in turn contacted Heston's scheduler in California, it was determined that setting a date immediately following the wrap date would be unwise since filming usually tends to run longer than expected. Thus, it was deemed nearly impossible to confirm a date prior to the Hopkins winter break.
At this point in time, the Symposium chairs feel it is unlikely for Heston to participate at all in the 2001 MSE Symposium. Feige and Henderson are dedicated to bringing Heston to Hopkins, so they are currently seeking other campus organizations that may be interested in having Heston speak. One strong candidate for Heston's spring appearance would be the 2002 Symposium on Foreign Affairs.
Initially, Heston was scheduled to appear Sept. 13. Soon after confirming that date, though, he was scheduled to appear in a play in Chicago for two weeks in mid-September. As a result, Heston was rescheduled for Oct. 4. Now, due to a new movie he's filming, it is unlikely that Heston will be a participant in the 2001 MSE Symposium at all.
Henderson said, "A lot of work went into planning this event, and I don't think that it will all be lost. Mr. Heston's team is committed to making this event happen at some point during the academic year."
She also added that "we understand that the very things which are keeping him from being here next week are the experiences that make him such a fascinating speaker."
Heston agreed to speak at Hopkins without accepting an honorarium, which means he was going to speak for free. According to Henderson, "there was no honorarium for Mr. Heston because he was so excited about coming."
Instead, the Young America's Foundation (YAF) had agreed to donate $5,000 towards purchasing Heston's latest book for a book signing that was to follow his speaking engagement; the royalties from book sales was to be Heston's only source of income from the MSE Symposium event.
