Diplomat to speak on 'Crossing Borders'

A Grand Valley State University alumnus with a long diplomatic career will speak about the importance of cross-cultural studies and exchanges at an upcoming Muskegon seminar.

The Lakeshore Museum Center will host “Crossing Borders” June 8 from 1-3 p.m. at Grand Valley’s Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center, 200 Viridian, in Muskegon.

Speaking at the event will be Muskegon native John Beyrle, who graduated from Grand Valley in 1975. The event is in conjunction with the next day’s opening of an exhibition at the museum that honors his late father, Joe Beyrle, a World War II paratrooper and decorated hero who fought with both the American and Russian Armed Forces.

John Beyrle studied in the Russian Studies program at Grand Valley and has been a diplomat with the U.S. State Department since 1983, serving as the ambassador to Russia from 2008-2012. Beyrle was Grand Valley’s winter commencement speaker in 1997 and was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2009. Joining him for the “Crossing Borders” event will be Gregory Guroff, a former Russian affairs specialist with the State Department, who is currently president of the Foundation for International Arts & Education, based in Maryland.

The event is free and open to the public, though registration is requested. Learn more at Lakeshore Museum Center, or by calling the museum at 231-722-0278.