Famed Ocean Explorer to Speak in Salem

Oceanographer Jean-Michel Cousteau will be the featured speaker during a benefit lecture next month.

The lecture will be held on May 20 by the Medical Foundation of Marion and Polk Counties in the Salem Conference Center. The event starts with a reception at 6:30 p.m.; the presentation will be at 7:30 p.m.

Proceeds from the event will go to the MedAssist program, which provides free life-saving prescription medications for the uninsured in Marion and Polk Counties.

The eldest son of the late ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, Jean-Michel Cousteau made it his life's work to educate people about the importance of the oceans. He heads theOcean Futures Society, anonprofit organization in Santa Barbara, Calif., and has dedicated his life to protecting marine environments by exploring the world's oceans.

The emcee for the event will be marine research scientist Stephen Hammond, director of the ocean environment research division for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. Hammond has a Ph.D. in marine geophysics and leads a tsunami research program that has been at the center of events following the 2004 tsunami in Sumatra.

Tickets must be purchased in advance. General admission seats are $45 and VIP seats are $100. Students with current student identification can purchase a general admission seat for $20.

For information or to purchase tickets,visit www.mpmedsociety.org or call the Marion-Polk Medical Society, 503-362-9669.