Free Event to Take Place Thursday, February 11

Pictured right: Dr. B.I. Naddy with this three sons.

Columbia State Community College's Lyceum Committee will host a seminar by Columbia State's own Dr. B.I. Naddy titled "Technical and Humanitarian Talk on the Life of Dr. Percy Lavon Julian." The seminar will take place on Thursday, February 11 at 2 p.m. in Ledbetter Auditorium.

The seminar will cover the life and accomplishments of Dr. Julian, a pre-eminent African-American chemist who accomplished many great things during the course of his career and life in spite of the hardships and obstacles he faced from societal actions during the early 1900's.

"Dr. Julian was a very gifted and determined man who quite easily could have been awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry if not for the hardships and obstacles of that particular time," said Glenn Hudson, assistant professor of mathematics at Columbia State. "Dr. Naddy will provide information about Dr. Julian's successes and the obstacles he overcame." Julian was the second African-American to gain a PhD. in chemistry.

Dr. Naddy, a professor of chemistry, has been teaching at Columbia State for 43 years. He technically retired in December, 2009, but remains an adjunct professor at Columbia State. The Ledbetter Auditorium is located in the Clement building on the Columbia Campus at 1665 Hampshire Pike.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth largest higher education system in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.