Free Lecture at Champaign Aviation Museum

18 hours ago
2 min read

Thursday, May 21st at 11am:

"Westerns-Parables for These Times"

Guest Speaker: Patrick Gillen, USAF Captain (Ret.) and Author of "The Quiet One"

Parables are short, simple tales used to teach a moral, spiritual, or life lesson. They are brief, memorable, and often contain a surprising twist that causes the listener to reflect on their own behavior or beliefs. Pat Gillen studied Pre-medicine and worked as many hours as possible at a hospital as an orderly, EKG tech, and helping with autopsies to pay his tuition. Under a lot of stress his father said, "You need to relax a bit, read westerns. They are a 10 minute vacation from work and study." It worked. His grades went to A's and he spent 40 years as a healthcare provider. As a nurse practitioner, he saw tens of thousands of patients, many with terminal illnesses. As a flight nurse in the Air Force flying 210 missions and in Medical Centers, he listened to them and prayed with them. His own life had many challenges. He learned a lot of the same life lessons taught in parables and came to see how westerns can relate similar struggles and inspire us to not quit no matter the odds. In this life we all face daily critical decisions, be it at work or school, or regarding our budget, car problems, or illness of self or a loved one.

"When you are in a two engine jet aircraft at 39,000 feet and lose one engine, and then the other begins to fail...you pray. When a friend is dying-you pray with them."

This talk is for people of all ages. Join us in the CAM library to hear how westerns can help our youth, and all of us, to not give up, but get up one more time.