The Marjorie Herrera Lewis Endowed Speakers Series kicks off with best-selling author David Thomas at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday in Martin Hall.

Lewis, who worked for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram covering Texas Wesleyan’s basketball team, and, later, the Dallas Cowboys, said the series would focus on sports figures, including former athletes, agents and screenwriters.

“I know that Charlotte Jones Anderson, who is very high ranking with the Dallas Cowboys, has shown an interest in participating,” Lewis said. “I think we’ll be able to draw some really good practitioners who will have some wonderful stories and experiences to share with Texas Wesleyan.”

Thomas was a student of Lewis’s when she taught at the University of Texas at Arlington and Lewis thought it would be poetic to have a former student who is now a New York Times best-selling author launch the series.

Thomas is the author or co-author of eight books, the latest being Foxcatcher: The True Story of My Brother’s Murder, John du Pont’s Madness, and the Quest for Olympic Gold, which he co-authored with Mark Schultz.

“Marjorie is someone I have a lot of respect for,” Thomas said. “She likes to help younger people and to have someone like that who’s willing to invest a little more time in students was a big confidence booster for me.”

The series is public and free. There will be one speaker each spring and fall, Lewis said.