Colonel Edward L. Hubbard, who spent more than six years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, will be the featured speaker in the John Paul Hammerschmidt Lecture Series Wednesday, Oct. 10, at North Arkansas College. His lecture, which is open to the public free of charge, will start at 5 p.m. in the Conference Center of the John Paul Hammerschmidt Business and Conference Center on Northark's South Campus. Edward Jones and the Harrison Chamber of Commerce are sponsoring Hubbard's appearance.

   An author, artist and internationally known speaker, Hubbard is dedicated to helping others overcome any obstacle, handle any ordeal, and reach any goal by developing the correct state of mind. Building on his adverse experiences during more than six and one- half years of captivity in North Vietnam, Hubbard conveys a positive message for personal growth. One goal of his lecture is to help members of the audience feel good about their country, themselves and their own abilities.

   A product of the Midwest, Hubbard spent his childhood in the Kansas City area. He joined the Air Force reserve at age 17 and in 1962 entered active duty, where he received his navigator wings and commission through the Aviation Cadet program. He culminated a 28-year active duty military career in August of 1990. Of that time, almost 25 percent (six years, seven months and 12 days) was spent as a prisoner of war. It was an experience that truly changed his life and, as a result, the lives of countless others.

   Following his release from prison in 1973, Hubbard completed five college degrees in seven years. In 1976 his concept-after only eight days of implementation-increased the productivity of a $350 million resource by 50 percent. He later inherited an organization designated as "...the worst managed..." among 58 units by an Air Force audit. Within four months, he turned the unit around and demonstrated statistically significant improvement in 96 percent of the audited areas.

   During his 10 years as head of the largest safety organization in the Air Force, Col. Hubbard's staff shattered all records. They achieved 30 to 70 percent improvement in all categories, where a three percent improvement had long been the norm. His organization was recognized as "best in the Air Force" for 10 consecutive years, and a previously accepted, multi-million-dollar loss rate per year was reduced to less than $50,000 annually.

   In 1985 Hubbard began motivational speaking. Following his Air Force retirement in 1990, he formed Positive Vectors, Inc., in order to share the lessons he learned during captivity and authenticated by his Air Force results. He has spoken to thousands of members of corporate America, government agencies, and non-profit groups. Hubbard's desire to change the attitudes of individuals through a better understanding of true human potential remains his number one goal in life.

   Today, Ed Hubbard is a motivational speaker, management consultant, artist, author and full-time associate of Edward Jones. His book, Escape from the Box.- The Wonder of Human Potential, was published in January of 1994.

   Hubbard's talk will be the fifth JPH Lecture. He follows Astronaut/Cosmonaut Dr. Jerry Linenger, Sherpa mountain guide Jamling Tenzing Norgay, CIA officers Tony and Jonna Mendez, and syndicated columnist Gwynne Dyer as a speaker in the series.

Last Updated: 27 September, 2001