Dr. Gwynne Dyer, an internationally syndicated columnist, broadcaster, and historian, will be at North Arkansas College Friday, April 6 to present the fourth John Paul Hammerschmidt Lecture. His presentation will begin at 7 p.m. in the Conference Center of the John Paul Hammerschmidt Business and Conference Center and is open to the public free of charge.

    In his lecture " War 2001: Downshift?" Dyer offers the theory that war, as we have known it for the past 8000 years, may be heading for extinction. "Human conflict is far older than organized war, and will certainly last so long as human beings do," he says. "Violence has always been part of our repertoire, too, and that will persist in various forms, so armed forces will have a continuing and indispensable role in human affairs. But the big wars waged by great states that have disfigured all of our history and that threatened to blow away most of the Northern Hemisphere during the latter half of the 20th century are an endangered species."

    A freelance journalist, columnist, broadcaster and lecturer on international affairs for more than 20 years, Dyer was originally trained as a historian. Born in Newfoundland in 1943, he received degrees from Canadian, American and British universities, finishing with a Ph.D. in Military and Middle Eastern History from the University of London.

    Dyer served in three navies and held academic appointments at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Oxford University before "giving up on day jobs" in 1973. Since then, his major activity has been his twice-weekly column on international affairs, which is published by 175 papers in some 45 countries. It is translated into more than a dozen languages.

    Dyer's first television series, the seven-part documentary "War," was aired in 45 countries in the mid-80s. One episode, 'The Profession of Arms," was nominated for an Academy Award. The accompanying book, also titled War, won the Columbia University School of Journalism award in 1986.

    During the past 15 years, Dyer has been involved in about another dozen hours of television documentaries. His more recent works include the 1994 series 'The Human Race," a personal inquiry in four parts into the roots, nature and future of human politics, and "Protection Force," a three-part series on peacekeepers in Bosnia first aired in 1995.

    He has been making radio documentaries since the late '70s. Notable recent ones include 'The Gorbachev Revolution," a seven-hour series based on Dyer's experiences in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union from 1987 to 1990, and "Millennium," a six-hour series on the emerging global culture.

    The JPH Lecture Series started at North Arkansas College in 1999-2000. During that academic year, area residents heard from former Astronaut/Cosmonaut Dr. Jerry Linenger and Sherpa mountain guide Jamling Norgay, star of the Imax film "Everest." This past fall, former CIA officers Jonna and Tony Mendez, author of The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA, were featured.

    Funded by private gifts to the North Arkansas College Foundation, the JPH Lecture Series sponsors national experts to speak about topics of interest to the people of northern Arkansas. The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and Jackson T. Stephens have made major gifts in support of the lecture series. The JPH Lecture Series was announced September 11, 1997 by the late Ross Pendergraft during dedication ceremonies featuring President George Bush for the John Paul Hammerschmidt Business and Conference Center at North Arkansas College. Congressman Hammerschmidt has an office at Northark, and many of his photographs, awards, and other memorabilia are on display in the building that bears his name.

    Congressman Hammerschmidt represented the Third District of Arkansas in the U.S. House of Representatives for 13 terms during the administrations of six presidents. By profession a lumberman, builder and building supplies businessman for 20 years before seeking public office, he is a native of Harrison, where he and his wife, Virginia, continue to reside.