The Cincinnati Enquirer

Tickets are now on sale for the 2004-2005 Town Hall Lecture Series sponsored by the Montgomery Woman's Club.

Here's the lineup:

• Sept. 22, 23: Gene Kranz, "Failure is Not an Option"

As the leader of the "Tiger Team" of flight directors who brought the Apollo 13 spaceship safely back to Earth on April 17, 1970, Kranz demonstrated extraordinary courage and heroism. Commissioned into the U.S. Air Force in 1954, Kranz flew fighter jets and was a flight test engineer; in 1960 he joined the NASA Space Task Group as a flight controller. He served as flight director for 33 missions and led the flight control team during the first lunar landing.

• Oct. 27, 28: Sam Donaldson, "The View from Washington"

A 36-year ABC News veteran, Donaldson served as the chief White House correspondent for ABC News covering Presidents Carter, Reagan and Clinton. He hosts SamDonaldson@

abcnews.com, where he interviews personalities. Donaldson also appeared on PrimeTime Live and anchored World News Sunday from 1979-1989. In 1998, he received the Broadcaster of the Year award from the National Press Foundation.

• Nov. 17, 18: Jim Morris, "Presidential Follies 2004"

Jim Morris is a political impressionist and satirist who has become famous as a living political cartoon. The subjects of his humor are the traditional Washington players, but particularly current and former presidents. Morris discovered a talent for impersonating authority figures while in high school. After attending Boston University and the University of Massachusetts, Morris took to the stage, and has appeared on The Tonight Show, CNN's Crossfire, and Larry King Live.

Dee Dee Myers

• Feb. 23, 24, 2005: Dee Dee Myers, "The Press, Politics and the Presidency"

During the Clinton administration, Dee Dee Myers was the first woman and youngest person to serve as White House press secretary. Her sense of humor and ability to explain complex subjects in straightforward language earned her the respect of a vigilant press corps and the nation. Since leaving the White House, Myers has worked as a political analyst, commentator and writer. She is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and consultant to the NBC television drama The West Wing.

• March 23, 24, 2005: The Von Trapp Children, "A Musical Celebration"

In 1965, The Sound of Music debuted and captured the hearts of millions everywhere. Now, nearly 40 years later, the legacy lives on. The great-grandchildren of Captain von Trapp, father of the famous singing family whose story captivated the world in The Sound of Music, continue their family's musical gift. Sofia (14), Melanie (13) Amanda (11) and Justin (8) bring their love of singing and heart-warming family stories of life before and after coming to America to the stage.

This is the 42nd season for the always-sold-out lecture series, which has hosted such luminaries as Barbara Bush, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former South African President F.W. deKlerk and Irish tenor Ronan Tynan.

Morning lectures take place at 11 a.m. at the theater at Paramount's Kings Island; the evening sessions take place at 8 p.m. at Sycamore Junior High School.

Tickets for the five-show series are $90; proceeds are used for scholarships and other educational projects in the community - more than $1 million has been donated to programs since the Town Hall Series was founded.

Send your requests to Town Hall Lecture Series, Montgomery Woman's Club, Inc., Box 42114, Cincinnati, OH 45242. For more details, call 684-1632.