Dr. Robert E. Dunker Leadership Series

The Robert E. Dunker Leadership Lectures examine and discuss examples of leadership displayed in life by prominent people in America, both nationally and locally. This series is sponsored by and named in honor of Dr. Robert E. Dunker, President Emeritus of Western Iowa Tech Community College, founder of The Institute for Lifelong Learning, and one of Western Iowa Tech’s earliest graduates.

This series is about people whose actions have impacted the world. These individuals made national news with perseverance, persistence, and sacrifice. Today the reason behind their fame is obscured by the results. We know they succeeded or failed. How can we learn from their example if we don’t know what they did or why they did it? Historian Russ Gifford will introduce us to the person behind the headlines, their motives, their methods, and what traits allowed them to exercise leadership and achieve their fame!

Sacagawea - Explorer, Adventurer - and Mother?

How did a young girl become part of the most famous expedition of the 19th century? What was her role? More importantly, would the Corps of Discovery have survived without her? That may sound like hype - but there is good reason to wonder if this young mother had not joined the journey in Mandan that first winter, would the Adventure have ended on the heights of the Rockies?

What do we know about Sacagawea? What is her heritage, and what were her experiences on the journey? What was her part in the success of the Corps mission?

In this session, Russ Gifford will seek to uncover the truth of the remarkable 16-year-old youth who played a pivotal role in the journey that, two centuries later, still commands our attention - and our admiration. We will also try to see her viewpoint as they crossed back into the region of her birth, and the amazing twist to the story that likely saved the enterprise from disaster.

Join the Lewis & Clark Expedition as they hike across the Rocky Mountains - and into history.

Bill Turner - TV Pioneer

William (Bill) Turner was never elected to local office. Nor was he the most likable guy in the room. His irascible personality and hyperactive nature made him an easy target for caricature, and his occasionally squeaky voice and accent led to comedic jest.

But Turner’s vision of what television should provide viewers and what TV could and should do for their community made him an influential leader in Sioux City and the region. More importantly, those ideas for what television, the most dominant medium of his time era, should achieve propelled him to the leadership of the National Association of Broadcasters, and he spread his ideas to the nation. But that was Bill. He never wasted time - or money. He intended to turn the promise of television into cash and was never apologetic about pursuing profits. It was a business, not a non-profit - and he embraced that idea completely.

This was at a time when both Turner and television were young. It was not an accident that he led his TV station to prominence in Siouxland. He led the way in community involvement for his station and had the vision to risk the change from the established CBS network to the upstart ABC network - and made it work.

In later years, Bill would return to take control of the second-place TV station in Siouxland, bringing it to a rating dominance that remains in place today. He lived a full life, entirely on display - and loved every minute of the adventure - though others may not have enjoyed it as much as he did. Bill always played to win.

Join Russ Gifford as we remember a force of nature in the guise of Bill Turner. We will try to see past the outsized personality and sometimes irritating manners to discover the legacy William Turner left Siouxland, both good and bad. I will also see if anyone since Bill has met the high goal he set for the broadcast industry.