Marshall University was privileged to have award-winning Dateline Correspondent John Hockenberry as a guest speaker on April 4th.  Hockenberry’s message to his audience was to create high expectations and don’t let anything hold you back.

Through the transitions of a changing world, Hockenberry says “we imagine one life and live another.”  He was forced to make a decision in life 24 years ago when he was paralyzed from the waist down in an automobile accident.  He woke up and noticed the little things that he never dreamed of doing, now ran through his mind and cluttered his thought process.  However, the confusion in his mind became clearer as he recognized he must do something with his life.  He asked himself, “What am I going to be?”  For the first time, he became focused, passionate and no longer passive in making decisions.

Hockenberry’s career began in MPR (public radio).  He quickly moved to ABC and then made the transition to his current position of Dateline Correspondent.  His duties reflect the turmoil of our world over the last 15 years.  He has worked in foreign countries such as Iraq, Syria and Israel.

Hockenberry’s most remarkable moments came in time of hostility and fear.  In Kosovo, the kids crazing over a simple 3-foot, 3-step slide, showed him the abilities to connect and reach a mutually desirable goal.  He observed the impulse of kids to hold on to each other in the lines forming for the slide, which reminded him of all the capabilities of the world.  Hockenberry believes his story is best represented by his coverage of last year’s southern tornadoes just days after the Columbine school shooting.  His inability to move through debris forced him to remain immobile for a 5-minute on-air morning segment with Katie Couric.  He was creative and showed how nails were forced through wood and metal the opposite way.  In other words, the nails were ripped through the material headfirst.  From this story, he reminds society that expectations are powerful limiters.

The message was delivered with much enthusiasm: you can make an impact if you have high expectations to elude adversity.

Story and Photos by Justin Ruble