ITHACA, N.Y. -- E. Linn Draper Jr., chairman, president and chief executive officer of American Electric Power (AEP) Co., will deliver the 2003 Durland Lecture at Cornell University Wednesday, April 9. His talk, "Corporate Responsibility in Turbulent Times," begins promptly at 5 p.m. in 155 Olin Hall.

The talk is free and open to the public, but space is limited and tickets are required. They may be obtained from Jennifer Cottrell in the Student Activities and Special Events Office, 106 Sage Hall, (607) 254-5446, jlf27@cornell.edu , or at 246 Carpenter Hall.

In addition to his CEO post at AEP, Draper leads the company's management and technology arm and is president of Ohio Valley Electric Corp. (OVEC) and its subsidiary, Indiana-Kentucky Electric Corp. OVEC provides electric energy for the U.S. Department of Energy's uranium-enrichment facility at Piketon, Ohio. Before joining AEP in 1992, Draper worked for 13 years with Gulf States Utilities Co. in Beaumont, Texas, becoming chairman, president and CEO in 1987. Prior to that, he served on the faculty and administration at the University of Texas-Austin, where he was an associate professor and director of the university's nuclear engineering program.

A frequent speaker on behalf of the energy industry, Draper was appointed to President Bush's Council on Sustainable Development, and he is the current chairman of the "E-7" alliance of nine energy companies that collectively promote sustainable energy development. He holds a doctorate in nuclear science and engineering from Cornell (in 1970) and was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1992 for contributions to nuclear power development through research, engineering innovations and overall management.

Draper was elected to the Cornell University Council board in July 1998 and also serves on Cornell's College of Engineering Advisory Council. He was appointed to the University of Chicago Board of Governors for Argonne National Laboratory in 1999 and was named to the board of trustees for The Nature Conservancy that year. In addition, he chairs the board of directors of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations and serves on the boards of the Nuclear Energy Institute, National Manufacturers Association, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Business Roundtable, National Coal Council and Edison Electric Institute -- the trade association of investor-owned electric utilities. Chairman of the Boy Scouts of America's Simon Kenton Council, Draper was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in 1998 to honor his career and volunteer achievements.

While on campus, Draper will attend College of Engineering advisory board meetings and meet with Johnson School students interested in the energy industry.

The Durland Memorial Lecture series, which brings distinguished executives from the fields of business, finance and investment management to Cornell annually, is the most prestigious invitational talk at Cornell's Johnson School. It was initiated in 1983 by Roy H. Park, the late chairman of Park Communications Inc., and a small group of donors to honor former Cornell Treasurer Lewis H. Durland.