On September 16, 2016, the 14th Annual Spencer Lecture Series was held, featuring Mr. Michael Hingson as he recounted his life before and after the attack on 9/11 along with his current guide dog Africa. The lecture began with a short introduction of the series, which was named after George “Twig” Spencer III ’69, the only known US alumnus to die in the attack. After a short opening by his brother and sister-in-law, the speaker was introduced. As the man stepped towards the podium, certain qualities were quickly noticeable, which allowed the speaker to flow straight into his speech, beginning with a simple proclamation that he was blind. The dog soothed the transition with some cool tricks on the stage.
After riling the tired crowd in order to prepare them for a one-hour speech, the speaker began his story with a description of his tragic beginning in life, which included many heartless and ruthless examples about people who believed and asserted an absurd amount of bias against the blind and handicapped. Additionally, the speaker spoke of many preconceptions that society holds which minimize the lifestyle of blind people, evident though companies offering few job positions and commonly paying below minimum wage. He mentioned that even the law justified these awful actions. Yet under these circumstances, the speaker still believed that he was as capable as anyone else, and that these “limits” placed onto him were a blessing. Subsequently, he promptly mentioned his achievements in academics and how he eventually became a salesperson under these limits.
The speaker explained that his career before 9/11 was a discorded mess and that he had a diverse background, including being an entrepreneur who helped blind people read through machines that scanned documents and produced braille copies. He also heavily stated that the bias towards blind people was further noticeable in his pursuit of becoming a salesperson. It was not until the time he decided to submit an application declaring that he was blind, that he would receive an authentic job. He then eventually began working at the twin towers. It was also then when he began to talk about the attack and how he, along with his faithful guide dog Roselle, would escape from the falling tower. He also recounted moments where he had significantly influenced people’s lives during the evacuation.
Overall, the speaker presented several interesting topics. First, he proclaimed that everyone has a different view of the world and that no one should find this diversity negatively restraining. He also mentioned that people should never simply treat and focus on one object and that they should see a situation in its entirety. He also strongly declared that people should never focus on the past, and that instead they should look forward and move on. Overall, the speaker, not only perfectly conveyed a story of the incident, but also prepared and delivered a message to everyone of how we should all approach and live our lives.
