MARQUETTE—Patrick Reynolds, anti-smoking crusader and grandson of tobacco company founder RJ Reynolds, will present “Tobacco Wars: The Battle for a Smoke-Free Society” at Northern Michigan University. After his own father died from smoking, Reynolds became an outspoken opponent of the cigarette industry. He serves as executive director of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free America, a nonprofit group he founded in 1989. Its mission is to motivate youth to stay tobacco free and empower all smokers to quit successfully. 

Reynolds’ talk is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, in the Great Lakes Rooms of the University Center. It is free to NMU students with ID and $2 for the general public.

“NMU is preparing to implement its tobacco-free policy on Aug. 1 and this year the nation celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Surgeon General's Report on the Health Effects of Smoking,” said Barb Coleman, NMU professor and adviser for the Health Promotion Society student organization. “We had the opportunity to bring someone to campus who has been one of the most outspoken champions of a tobacco-free society. The fact he is the grandson of the Reynolds Tobacco Company founder underscores the fact that people need to step up and speak out even when doing so is difficult. His passion is exposing the truth about an industry that produces a product that, according to CDC statistics, causes about six million deaths worldwide each year.”

NMU student groups helping with his visit are the Health Promotion Society, Organization of Outdoor Professionals, Physical Education Student Organization, Student Association for Sport Science, Student Athletic Training Organization and Student Athletic Advisory Council.