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CORVALLIS, Ore. - John Frohnmayer, former chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts, will speak about his life experiences and First Amendment issues on Thursday, Feb. 27, at Oregon State University.

The lecture, "Second Thoughts of a First Amendment Radical: Slathering Politics, Religion, Philosophy and Art on Burned American Toast," will begin at 7 p.m. in the Agriculture Production Room at the LaSells Stewart Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Frohnmayer drew national attention during his tenure as endowment chairman because of his thoughts on the First Amendment. He served in the administration of President George H.W. Bush and was removed after he defended the endowment's decision to grant money to controversial artists like Robert Mapplethorpe and Andres Serrano.

His books, "Leaving Town Alive," and "Out of Tune: Listening to the First Amendment," explore the national debate over free speech, government funding of the arts, censorship, politics and obscenity.

Frohnmayer is a former affiliate professor of liberal arts at Oregon State, where he taught about First Amendment issues and ethics. Frohnmayer also made a brief run as an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2008.