Huckabee To Speak At TRC Commencement Sunday

A SMT Report

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. - Former Arkansas governor and former presidential candidate Mike Huckbee will be the featured guest this Sunday as more than 300 students at Three Rivers College receive degrees and certificates.

Huckabee is the speaker at this weekend's commencement at Three Rivers. The ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Black River Coliseum. The event is open to the public and admission is free.

"We are extremely honored to have Mr. Huckabee as our guest,” Three Rivers president Devin Stephenson said. "Our graduates have worked hard, and I want them to hear from a speaker who will motivate them to continue to dream big, a speaker who is nationally recognized, and a speaker who is a person of influence and integrity."

Huckabee was considered one of the leading candidates a field of GOP candidates running for the White House. However, he announced last weekend he would not be a candidate for President in 2012.

He served as governor of Arkansas from 1996 until 2007. He made a bid for the GOP nomination in the 2008 presidential election.

Time Magazine has called Huckabee one of the five best governors in America. He is the host of the number-one-rated weekend hit "Huckabee” on the Fox News channel, as well as “The Huckabee Report” on ABC Radio Networks. Two of his seven books have spent several weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list.

Huckabee is an ordained Southern Baptist minister and lives in Florida with his wife, Janet.

Huckabee’s appearance is being sponsored by the Three Rivers Endowment Trust, a not-for-profit organization created to support and drive donations to the college. A private fundraising reception will be held in honor of Mr. Huckabee prior to the commencement ceremony, with all proceeds returning to the college.

Photo Above: Huckabee at an event in Cape Girardeau in 2008. (SMT file photo by Annabeth Miller)