Editors: Reporters and photographers are welcome to attend the public forum on Wednesday, March 14, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Muenzinger Auditorium on the CU-Boulder campus.
Charles Clements, a physician whose experiences in war torn El Salvador were made into an Academy Award-winning documentary in 1985, will be on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus as a guest of the World Affairs Athenaeum program March 13 through March 15.
Clements will attend several classes and spend time talking about his life experiences and his current work, which involves helping to bring clean water to populations living along the U.S. border with Mexico. He also will give a public forum on Wednesday, March 14, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Muenzinger Auditorium on the CU-Boulder campus.
"Dr. Clements will bring relevant experiences to students from a wide variety of issues," said Adam Van Iwaarden, one of the two student fellows responsible for pulling together all of the Athenaeum events. "He can discuss everything from health and sanitation to human rights, non-profit organizations, the military and war crimes."
In the early 1980s Clements worked as a physician in rebel-held territories of El Salvador where he treated injured civilians. These experiences were made into the Academy Award-winning documentary "Witness to War: Dr. Charlie Clements."
Clements was brought up in a military family and began his career as an Air Force pilot flying missions in Vietnam. During the war, his conscience came into conflict with his duties and he refused to fly more missions, which led to his hospitalization in a psychiatric ward and eventual discharge as mentally disabled. He returned to school and graduated in 1980 from the University of Washington, Seattle, medical school.
A distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Clements has worked with the international group Physicians for Human Rights on issues such as banning landmines, and also has taken up the cause of many other humanitarian issues.
"In addition to other Athenaeum events, Clements will speak to classes from the geology, history, communications and honors departments," said Athenaeum fellow Hadley Evans.
The Athenaeum, launched in February 2000, is an extension of the annual World Affairs Conference at CU-Boulder and is designed to create a more intimate setting for visitors and students to meet and discuss world affairs and new ideas. Recent visitors have included Dr. Patch Adams, film director Werner Herzog and author Jedediah Purdy.
For more information about Clements' visit, contact the Athenaeum office at (303) 492-2525.