MEDIA CONTACT: Terry Gearing
561-799-8026, gearing@fau.edu

FAU Honors College Presents Author
Robert Kurson

JUPITER, FL (February 11, 2005) - Florida Atlantic University's Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College Speakers Forum will present author Robert Kurson at a luncheon on Wednesday, February 16 at 11:45 a.m. The event will be held at Eastpointe Country Club, 13535 Eastpointe Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens.

Kurson is the author of Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II. The book recounts the story of serious recreational divers who discover a sunken German U-boat where it isn't supposed to be - 60 miles off the coast of New Jersey. The New York Times calls the book "literally heart-pounding."

Kurson grew up and currently lives in the Chicago suburbs. He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin and a law degree from Harvard Law School. Kurson practiced real estate law, but quit to pursue a writing career. To make ends meet, he worked full time as a drapery and window blinds installer, then as a Wal-Mart options trader at the Chicago Board Options Exchange. Kurson was hired by the Chicago Sun-Times as a data entry clerk, a position which led to a full-time features writing job. In 2000, Esquire published "My Favorite Teacher," his first magazine story, which became a finalist for a national magazine award. He moved from the Sun-Times to Chicago magazine, then to Esquire, where he is currently a contributing editor. His stories have appeared in Rolling Stone, The New York Times Magazine and other publications.

Tickets cost $50. Proceeds from the event will benefit the scholarship programs of FAU's Wilkes Honors College. For ticket information, call 561-799-8620.

-FAU-

The Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, located on FAU's John D. MacArthur Campus, is a small four-year residential liberal arts & science college with highly selective admissions criteria.