August 16, 1980 - Marvin Mitchelson, a California divorce attorney, speaking at main branch of the Minneapolis Public Library as part of the Minneapolis Public Library's series on justice. Address was titled "Alimony/Palimony: How to Heal a Broken Heart". In speech, Mitchelson criticizes a Minnesota law passed last session dealing with living-together relationships outside of marriage. He accuses the bill's author, Senator Jack Davies, of being a chauvinist. After speech, Mitchelson answers audience questions. Mitchelson who, in the Marvin vs. Marvin case, established that, in a "living together relationship", each member of that couple has definite rights to property. That, even if there is no written agreement between the two parties. The settlements in such cases have come to be called palimony.
August 23, 1980 - Dr. Ack speaking at the annual luncheon of the Mental Health Association of Minnesota held at St. Thomas College in Saint Paul. Ack, a champion of children's rights, addressed several child related issues in his talk, including child abuse, and what he believes are the negative effects of day care.
August 27, 1980 - Stewart Udall, former U.S. congressman and founder of an environmental consulting firm called Overview, speaking at a symposium on the future held at Mankato State University. Udall’s address was on ecology and energy across the country, as well as practicing law in Washington, D.C. Udall served U.S. Interior Secretary under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.
October 8, 1980 - As the first part of Walker Art Center's 1980 Literature Series with guest Imamu Amiri Baraka begins, MPR’s Nancy Fushan profiles the author. Program includes a re-broadcast of audio from 1978 North Dakota Writers Conference, in which Baraka, William Burroughs, and Tillie Olson participated.
October 27, 1980 - Carole Simpson, NBC News correspondent, speaking at the Freedom Fund banquet of the Duluth Branch NAACP at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth. Simpson shares personal insight into the career of a successful Black American. Simpson's Capitol Hill assignments have included the environment, education, welfare, women's rights, transportation, housing and child care - what she describes as "a real potpourri of people issues".
November 1, 1980 - John W. Gardner, former Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) secretary and Common Cause founder speaking about American politics. Gardner shares six key leadership topics.
November 29, 1980 - Calvin Bradford, Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs professor, speaks on the neighborhood movement, from its definition to the struggle between national and local control.
December 7, 1980 - MPR’s Mark Johnson interviews Charles Johnson, a Macalester professor, about the history and current situation of the Hmong people. Johnson also discusses his project of collected Hmong traditional folk stories translated in English for ESL studies.
December 13, 1980 - Jack Nelson, author of "Hunger for Justice: The Politics of Food and Faith", speaking at a Minneapolis conference on organic farming, sponsored by Clergy and Laity Concerned. Nelson’s address was on the topic "Hunger and the Crisis in American Agriculture." He shared his believe that America being the world's breadbasket was a myth. Nelson is a native of Minnesota. He is a critic of many of the trends in American agriculture.
January 6, 1981 - Dr. Sol Gordon, professor of child and family studies and director of the Institute for Family Research and Education at Syracuse University in New York, speaking at North Dakota State University. Gordon’s address is titled, "Ten Heavy Facts about Sex that College Students Don't Know." Gordon is well-known as an author and public speaker and has lectured widely on topics concerning the family.