Purple Heart and “Distinguished Flying Cross with a Valor Device” recipient, Major Mary Jennings Hegar, to receive the prestigious Austin Toastmasters 32nd annual “Communication Achievement Award” for 2013.
Major Mary Jennings Hegar served three tours over two deployments to Afghanistan as a Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) pilot. She was awarded the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross with a Valor Device for heroism while participating in an aerial mission near Kandahar Airfield on July 29, 2009. Major Hegar is the sixth woman to receive the DFC, the first being Amelia Earhart, and only the second woman in history to receive the DFC with a Valor device.
After returning home she was the lead plaintiff in Hegar v. Panetta, the ACLU lawsuit challenging and overturning the military’s policy excluding women from combat positions. Additionally, as the official spokesperson for OurPart.US, Major Hegar is championing crowd funding initiatives to provide ADA compliant homes for physically disabled vets.
The award will be given to Major Mary Jennings Hegar at The Austin Toastmasters Club annual banquet where Major Hegar will tell her story in a Keynote speech. As one of the premier Toastmasters clubs in central Texas, The Austin Toastmasters Club also takes this time to honor and recognize their members with awards for Toastmaster of the Year, Best Speaker, Most Improved Speaker, Best Evaluator, and Best at Table Topics. The Banquet, open to the public and other Toastmaster’s clubs, is held at “Green Pastures Restaurant” an elegant banquet venue in Austin Texas.
The Austin Toastmasters Club was founded in 1980 by David Abel and Jim Goff, setting a high standard for success, protocol and commitment that has continued for decades.
To register go to: http://www.eventbrite.com/org/4038775907?s=15013087
Other past female “Communication Achievement Award” recipients include:
1984 Ann Richards - Former Governor and Treasurer, State of Texas
1986 Barbara Jordan - Former U.S. Representative
1987 Jodie Conradt - U.T. Women's Basketball Coach
1991 Molly Ivins - Syndicated Columnist, Best Selling Author, 60 Minutes
2003, Liz Carpenter - LBJ’s Press Secretary, Author and Lecturer
2006, Sarah Weddington - Attorney “Roe vs. Wade”, Leadership Philosopher
The 2013 Austin Toastmasters Banquet
Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 6:00 PM
Location: Green Pastures Restaurant
811 W Live Oak St. Austin, TX 78704
http://www.austintoastmasters.org/index.php/member-area/upcoming-events
