2022 Lecture Series

Norman Lyle Prouse

Thursday, February 3, 2022, 7 pm - 8 pm
Norman Lyle Prouse is a retired United States airline pilot, U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, addiction rehabilitation advocate, and author. He received national news attention in March 1990 after serving as the captain of Northwest Airlines Flight 650 when he was arrested and faced charges related to flying a Boeing 727 while intoxicated. After being released from prison, he re-earned the requisite pilot’s licenses and ratings, regained employment with Northwest, and later retired as a Boeing 747 captain for the airline. Prouse later received a presidential pardon from U.S. President Bill Clinton in 2001.

Jim Sonefeld

Thursday, February 3, 2022, 8 pm - 9 pm
Jim Sonefeld, Hootie & the Blowfish drummer, dreamt more of being a professional soccer player than a successful musician. However, with the unexpected success of the band’s 1994 debut release, Cracked Rear View on Atlantic Records, he and his bandmates found themselves traveling the world to support what would become the 16th best-selling album of all time in the United States.

Amy Dresner

Thursday, February 10, 2022, 7 pm - 8 pm
Amy Dresner is a journalist, author, and former comedian. She was a regular columnist for the addiction/recovery magazine theFix.com for seven years and has freelanced for Addiction.com, Psychology Today, Vice, Salon, and many other publications. Her first book, My Fair Junkie: A Memoir of Getting Dirty and Staying Clean, was published by Hachette in 2017 to rave reviews from critics and readers alike. She has appeared on The Doctors television show and numerous radio shows and podcasts, including Dr. Drew, Dopey, and Rich Roll. She is the co-host of social worker Joe Schrank of the Rehab Confidential Podcast. Her book is currently in development for a TV series.

Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson

Thursday, February 10, 2022, 8 pm - 9 pm
Regarded as one of the best linebackers in NFL history, Thomas Henderson was a first-round draft pick for the Dallas Cowboys and an All-Pro Bowl linebacker. However, alcohol and drugs quickly took over his life and brought his career to a halt. He established a new way of living with the help of therapy and 12-step recovery programs. Thomas has been sober since November 8, 1983. In spring 2018, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Law from Langston University.

Corporate Sponsors

Thursday, February 17, 2022, 7 pm - 8 pm
Grand Strand Health, FAVOR-Grand Strand, Lighthouse and Shoreline will each offer 12-minute presentations on what recovery is all about. These short, creative performances will add some insight into aspects of addiction and recovery from a professional viewpoint.

Ritch Shydner

Thursday, February 17, 2022, 8 pm - 9 pm
Ritch Shydner has made appearances on Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Married with Children, Designing Women, and Roseanne. Ritch was able to translate his modest success on TV into an obscure film career, appearing in Steve Martin’s “Roxanne” and Eddie Murphy’s “Beverly Hills Cop II” before moving on to minor roles on smaller pictures. Ritch is currently performing “America’s Reflection in the Funhouse Mirror, A History of Stand-up Comedy” to small, masked, socially distanced audiences. He has given up any dreams of stardom for the satisfaction of not being an aging Uber Driver.

Asdru Sierra

Thursday, February 24, 2022, 7 pm - 8 pm
Asdru Sierra has garnered two Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album of the Year Grammy Awards, one Latin Grammy, three Latin Billboard Awards, three Alma Awards, a BMI Songwriting Award, and a Latin Spirit Award for humanitarian efforts. When not performing internationally with Ozomatli or his passion-project Abstrakto, Sierra is composing scores for numerous feature films, television shows, big budget commercials, and video games.

Cidny Bullens

Thursday, February 24, 2022, 8 pm - 9 pm
Cidny Bullens is a two-time Grammy nominee whose career has taken him from singing back-up on tour with Elton John and lead vocals on the “Grease” movie soundtrack to having eight critically acclaimed solo albums. Cidny is one-third of “super-group”, The Refugees, with Wendy Waldman and Deborah Holland. The award-winning documentary about his life, The Gender Line, screened at over 20 major film festivals around the world in 2019. He is featured in the award-winning documentary, Invisible, screened at dozens of major film festivals in 2021. His memoir, TransElectric, is due for publication in 2022.