The Karl Jonske '99 Memorial Lecture Series honors a devoted student of English and lover of the written word. At Catlin Gabel Karl was a National Merit semi-finalist, a member of the varsity tennis team, and a captain of the varsity basketball team. He went on to attend the University of Chicago, where he was active in community service, sports, and the Model United Nations.

His many interests included reading, writing, scuba, and travel. He had a passion for working with young people and volunteered with middle school youth as a math tutor. He hoped to become a professional writer. In addition to the lecture itself, the memorial fund has provided for the acquistion of 686 titles to date by the Upper School library.

Past lecturers have included poet and essayist Ted Kooser, journalists David Lamb and Sandy Northrop, photographer Anne B. Keiser, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder.

2010-11 Lecture

Two-time U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins will return to the Catlin Gabel campus as the 2010-11 Karl Jonske Memorial Lecturer. His last visit was in 1999, the year of Karl Jonske's graduation, as a Jean Vollum Distinguished Writer.

The date for the Karl Jonske Memorial Lecture will be announced in late summer. Due to space limitations in our theater, this event will be open to Catlin Gabel community members only.

2009-10 Lecture

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder spoke about his book Mountains Beyond Mountains, which narrates the interactions and conflicts Dr. Paul Farmer faces as he attempts to secure healthcare for the poor in third world countries. Following his lecture, Tracy Kidder had lunch and talked with Upper School students in the creative writing elective.

2008-09 Lecture

Photographer Anne B. Keiser talked about her work documenting Sir Edmund Hillary's humanitarian efforts with the Sherpa people of Nepal. She is pictured here with the student who introduced her.

2007-08 Lecture

Filmmaker Sandy Northrup and author David Lamb led a conversation about the Vietnam War. Sandy Northrop directed a PBS film trilogy about Vietnam. David Lamb, a former LA Times foreign correspondent, is the author of Vietnam, Now: A Reporter Returns. They are pictured here (center) with Nancy and Fred Jonske, parents of Karl Jonkse '99.

2006-07 Lecture

Ted Kooser was the lecture series' inaugural speaker. He is a poet and essayist, visiting professor of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and recent United States poet laureate consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress.