Human Rights Activist and Actor Mike Farrell Comes to Caltech

PASADENA, Calif.—Human rights advocate and actor Mike Farrell will come to Caltech to present the final address in the 2003-2004 season of the Social Activism Speaker Series at the California Institute of Technology. Well known for playing B. J. Hunnicutt in the popular television show M.A.S.H., Farrell has spent much of his life campaigning for prisoners' rights and penal reform. Currently president of Death Penalty Focus (DPF), a nonprofit organization, he will speak on his efforts to help end capital punishment. This event will take place on Thursday, May 6, at 8 p.m., in Ramo Auditorium on the Caltech campus. It is free and open to the public.

Mike Farrell's interest in human rights developed long before his success as an actor. His volunteer work at a Salvation Army rehabilitation center in the late1960s gave him an appreciation for the plight of people often written off as outcasts and derelicts. He soon became involved in a number of organizations devoted to improving the penal system and the rights of prisoners. A visit to death row at Tennessee State Prison left an indelible imprint and encouraged him to learn more about the death penalty.

Farrell later became active in Death Penalty Focus which is dedicated to the abolition of capital punishment through grassroots organizing, research, and education. As president of DPF since 1994, he has been instrumental in commuting the death sentences of many mentally ill and wrongly accused inmates across the country. In addition to a busy speaking schedule, he has made numerous appearances on radio and television shows, including Larry King Live and Politically Incorrect. He has also been honored with many awards for his work, including, most recently, the Southern California ACLU Garden Party Award and the 2002 Gleitsman Foundation Citizen Activist Award.

This is the fifth year for the Social Activism Speaker Series, which focuses attention on current social and political issues by inviting prominent activists to share their experiences and perspectives with the Caltech community and the public. This series is coordinated with the help of the Caltech Y, and is made possible by contributions from the Moore-Hufstedler Fund, Student Affairs, the Alumni Association, Campus Life, the Diversity Program Fund, the Graduate Student Council, Jack and Edith Roberts, and the Associated Students of Caltech.

Ramo Auditorium is located in the central part of the Caltech campus. Parking is available in the lots south of Del Mar Boulevard between Wilson and Chester avenues, and in the Wilson Avenue parking structures between San Pasqual Street and Del Mar Boulevard.

For more information, visit http://sass.caltech.edu or contact Greg Fletcher, Caltech Y, (626) 395-6163.

Contact: Deborah Williams-Hedges (626) 395-3227 debwms@caltech.edu

Visit the Caltech Media Relations Web site at: http://pr.caltech.edu/media

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