I don't need to write much here. You can read all about her and watch videos about her with the magic of Google.
Truth be told, I hadn’t heard of her until our lecture coordinator informed me last spring that the university had booked her for our lecture series. He tried to communicate to me then that it was a big deal, but I had no idea. … I started getting an idea in November when we announced the lecture to the public. We were flooded with ticket requests and I spent parts of my Thanksgiving break answering those requests. When tickets went on sale in early January, they sold out quickly. Nearly every day since, I’ve received a call or email from a community member desperate for a ticket and had the duty of informing them that no tickets were available.
Last night, in my cramming for her visit today, I began to fully realize what all the fuss was about as I stayed up into the early morning hours, watching “Temple Grandin,” an HBO biopic starring Claire Danes as Grandin. The story is extraordinary, and spending most of today with Dr. Grandin and observing her made Danes’ portrayal more remarkable.
I had the privilege of accompanying her on a tour of our university farm with agriculture students, having lunch with her and a small group of faculty and joining her on a tour of our campus elementary school, in between discussions with ag students and local educators. … During the tour of our elementary school, we passed through the library and a student worked at the front desk. When she looked up and spotted Temple, her jaw dropped and she mouthed to me and the lecture coordinator, “Big fan.” We waved her to join us and captured a photo of her standing with Temple.
Tonight she engrossed the sold-out audience at our performing arts center, sharing her story and insights about living with autism.
What a day.
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