Joe Kernan, former Indiana governor, will visit Tri-State University on Monday, Oct. 15, to present “Play Ball!” as part of the University’s Distinguished Speaker series. Kernan’s presentation, which will draw an analogy between baseball and public service, will be in the University Center’s Fabiani Theatre at 7 p.m.

Kernan was elected mayor of South Bend in 1987, 1991, and 1995. In 1996, he was elected Indiana’s lieutenant governor, and then re-elected in 2000. As lieutenant governor, he served as the president of the Indiana Senate, the director of the Indiana Department of Commerce, and as the Commissioner of Agriculture.

Kernan became Indiana’s governor on Sept. 13, 2003, upon the death of the incumbent governor, Frank O’Bannon. After he lost a bid for a full term to present Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels Jr. in 2005, he entered political retirement in South Bend, shortly thereafter engaging himself in a lifelong passion—baseball.

He now heads a group of 40 investors who purchased the Midwest League Class A South Bend Silver Hawks baseball team in 2005. “I got involved because I realized what an extraordinary asset this team is to the community and it would not be good, not just for South Bend, but for the whole community, if it were to leave,” Kernan said. “That, as much as anything, is what drove me to make the effort and bring local ownership to the Silver Hawks.” The group now owns and runs the Silver Hawks franchise, and Kernan has made a 10-year commitment to the investors to run the club.

A return to baseball seemed like a natural fit for Kernan, considering his family's connection to the game. His grandfather played, coached and scouted in the minor leagues, his father played as well, and Joe himself played four years at Notre Dame. The former catcher and infielder has even gotten out on the diamond with the Silver Hawks players to take ground balls.

“My goal, for the rest of my life, however long that lasts, is to still be able to throw and to be able to play catch,” Kernan said. He continues to serve in his other lifelong passion, public service, although not as an office-holder. In July 2007, Kernan and Indiana Chief Justice Randall Shepard were appointed by Gov. Mitch Daniels to co-chaor a commission on local government reform.

The TSU community of students, faculty, and staff, as well as the general public, is invited to hear Kernan point out the analogies between America’s favorite game and the performance of public service.