Attractions fiSIfeatures Missfimerica 1995 Matthew 19:26 reads that "with God, all things are possible. " In her speech, Oct. 7, 1999, Heather "Whitestone - McCallum presented herself as living proof of this Scriptural truth. Speaking as part of the American 5cuclies Institute's Distinguished Lecture series, McCallum shared stories of her background, accomplishmenrs and personal faith with the crowd gathered in the Benson Auditonum. McCallum, who won the tide of Miss America in 1995, lose her hearing at age 18 months due to a high fever and the medicine required to treat it. In her speech, she described the challenges ofgrowing up with a physical disabi li ty. She began her education at a public school, but struggled to keep up with the other students, eventually uansferring to a school for the deaf in St. Louis, Mo. Rather than learn sign language, she learned to lipread and speak. so she could better communicate with the hearing world. Eventually, she returned to public school in Alabama and graduated h igh school with a 3.6 grade point average. McCal lum stressed mat a positive anitude is the mOSt imporrant factor in one's success in life, and that a negative attitude is the biggest handicap of all. "She said that life is all abom ani tude," Mac Bell, junior, said. "You can whine about the mings mat are wrong with you, or you can rejoice about the things that are right. You have to go on with your life and look at things that most people would consider a handicap as a blessing." McCallum anribured her positive attitude and her accomplishments to her relarionship wim God. She quoted Jeremiah 29: 11 as evidence mat God has plans 40 Student Life and dreams for all ofus, an awareness that gave her hope and motivation growing up. "I think her relationship with God gave her an inner strength ," RaDora Dinnan, sophomore. said. "A lot of people in her situation would get angry at God and ask 'Why me? '" The experience and advice she shared wim the audience applied to everyone, not just people with a physical disability, according to David Duke. senior. "She pointed out that even if we don't have a physical handicap ,we often have something in our lives that we view as a limitation," he said. Her years of speech therapy also allowed her to direct some words ofwisdom specifically to the speech pathology majors in the audience. She advised them to be patient when working with hearing-impaired students, and not ro give up on them when they become frustrated or stubborn . "Some of the patients I've been working with have been stubborn, just like she said, and mere are times when I feel like I am not getting anywhere wim them," Laura Giffin, senior, said. "But after hearing her speech, I real ized mat even if you feel like you aren't making a difference, you never know how you might be influencing their future. " The lives she touched, though less tangible than the glinering Miss America crown she showed the audience, may truly have been McCallum's greatest achievement. "I don't think you can really measure yet what her greatest accomplishment is," Duke said. "1 think it will be the lives she touched through being Miss America and all [he opportunities that have come with that." - Sarah Hardesty Arkansas SenatorAsa Hutchisonspeaks to a packed house in the Administration Auditorium. September 7. Hutchison, along with Leland Kaiser and Heather Whitestone-McCallum spoke as a part of theAmerican Studies Institute Distinguished Lecture Series this year.
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