Author, Mother Of Lance Armstrong To Speak

Linda Armstrong Kelly is scheduled to speak on Oct. 10, at 11 a.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.

Many people know her as the mother of Lance Armstrong, but Linda Armstrong Kelly overcame many obstacles to become the person she is today.

She will share her story as the first of what will become an annual Office of Student Activities’ Leadership Initiative series speaker on Tuesday (Oct. 10), during SHSU’s homecoming activities.

Kelly’s speech, “No Mountain High Enough: My Life Story,” based on her book by the same name, is scheduled for 11 a.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.

The tribulations in Kelley’s life have included growing up in poverty in South Dallas, an abusive father, an unsupportive mother, giving birth at 17 and enduring Lance's battle with cancer.

Her early life experiences helped her form the values and positive attitude that both she and Lance carried forward into adulthood, she said in a news release.

“Her son, seven-time Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong, credits her as the unsung hero who assisted him in reaching his spectacular cycling victories – and in his triumph over cancer,” her release said. “Linda is Lance’s role model.”

Through what have been called “powerful and humorous stories,” she also discusses the philosophy that helped her meet life's obstacles and overcome them, leadership and inspiration, among other topics, and will field questions afterwards during a question and answer session.

After spending 15 years with Ericsson Microelectronics as a global account manager, Kelley is now dedicating her time to writing, public speaking, assisting nonprofit organizations and fundraising.

An Ericsson’s “Mother of the Year” award recipient in 1999, as well as one of the “Ladies Home Journal” magazine’s “America’s Most Fascinating Women,” Kelley was also featured in a one-hour television biography for The Learning Channel called “Raising a Champion: The Linda Armstrong Kelly Story” in 2005.

That same year, Kelly’s book “No Mountain High Enough—Raising Lance, Raising Me” was published by Doubleday, in which she discusses her life experiences and many of the topics on which she currently speaks.

The event is open to SHSU students, faculty and staff, as well as the Huntsville community.

A book signing will follow the event, and attendees will have the opportunity to purchase her book for $20.

For more information, call 936.294.3465 or e-mail leadership@shsu.edu.

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SHSU Media Contact: Jennifer Gauntt
Oct. 3, 2006
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