Lecture series to include Jamie Farr

Staff report

WARREN

The 2011-12 Trumbull Town Hall celebrity series will include four lecturers, including actor Jamie Farr, who played Cpl. Klinger on the TV series “MASH.”

The lineup consists of Greg Mortenson, humanitarian and author, Sept. 21; Roland Mesnier, former White House pastry chef, Nov. 9; Nick Clooney, journalist and author, March 14, 2012; and Farr, April 11, 2012.

Mortenson is the co-founder of the nonprofit Central Asia Institute and the co-author of “Three Cups of Tea,” which is now mandatory reading for all U.S. military commanders and Special Forces deploying to Afghanistan. His 2009 book, “Stones Into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times bestseller list. As of 2010, Mortenson had established more than 141 schools, and another five dozen refugee schools in rural and volatile regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

One of nine children, Roland Mesnier grew up in the tiny village of Bonnay, France. He began his career in the kitchen at age 14 as an apprentice. From there, he worked in many different kitchens throughout Europe, Bermuda and — nine years later — the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va.

In 1979, First Lady Rosalynn Carter hired Mesnier, and he became the sole pastry chef for the White House. He was responsible for creating thousands of elegant, delicious and dazzling desserts for presidents and their families, including Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Nick Clooney has make a lifelong career out of pursuing his ideals, first by delivering the news on-air at a Kentucky radio station. His latest project has been mobilizing efforts to end violence in Darfur, addressing the United Nations Security Council, and hosting the politically conscious “Moments that Changed Us” on American Life TV.

Jamie Farr’s first acting success was at age 11 when he won $2 in a local contest. After a stellar high-school career, Farr attended the Pasadena Playhouse where an MGM talent scout offered him a screen test for “The Blackboard Jungle.” He won the role of the mentally handicapped student, Santini.

In the late 1950s, Farr became a regular on “The Red Skelton Show” and then “The Danny Kaye Show.” He also appeared on” The Dick Van Dyke Show.”

Farr was hired for one day’s work during an early episode of the hit comedy “MASH,” and was so outrageous as phony transvestite Corp. Klinger that it became an 11-year career.

The son of a Lebanese grocer from Toledo received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1985. The only actor from “MASH” who has written an autobiography (“Just Farr Fun”), he is still active in regional theater and guest stars occasionally on TV series.