‘Dixie Forum’ to feature story of woman who inspired Catwoman in advance of Docutah screening

Stock image, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Hedy Lamarr, an actress and inventor who conceptualized the idea of cellphone and bluetooth technology and inspired the characters of Snow White and Catwoman, will be featured in Tuesday’s “Dixie Forum: A Window on the World” at Dixie State University.

In collaboration with the DSU Docutah International Documentary Film Festival, this week’s forum will examine Lamarr’s life ahead of festival film “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story.”

Hedy Lamarr publicity photo, date and location not specified | Public domain image, St. George News

Docutah representatives will delve into the life of the 1930s and ’40s Hollywood actress, who was also an underappreciated inventor who perfected a secure radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes during World War II.

The presentation will take place at noon Tuesday in the Dunford Auditorium, located in the Browning Resource Center on the Dixie State campus. Admission is free, and the public is encouraged to attend.

In honor of Lamarr’s contributions to modern technology, the forum also will feature a special art dedication. DSU professor of art Dennis Martinez will reveal his portrait painting of Lamarr that will be on display in the Holland Centennial Commons on campus.

As a painter, sculptor and installation artist, Martinez’s creative work is featured in collections across the U.S., Great Britain and France. Martinez earned a bachelor’s degree in art and archaeology from Princeton University and master’s degrees in art history from the University of New Mexico and creative arts from Colorado University.

Dixie Forum is a weekly lecture series designed to introduce the St. George and Dixie State communities to diverse ideas and personalities while widening their worldviews via a 50-minute presentation.

The next installment will take place at noon Sept. 11 in the Dunford Auditorium and feature Kevin Doxzen. A biophysicist who works for the Innovative Genomics Institute, Doxzen will speak about using CRISPR genome engineering technology to address medicinal and agricultural issues.

For more information about Dixie State University’s Dixie Forum series, contact DSU Forum Coordinator John Burns at 435-879-4712 or [email protected] or visit the DSU Dixie Forum webpage.

Event details

  • What: “Dixie Forum: A Window on the World” featuring Hedy Lamarr.
  • When: Tuesday, Sept. 4, at noon.
  • Where: Browning Resource Center on the Dixie State, 225 S. 700 East, St. George.
  • Cost: Free and open to the public.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

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