Today’s announcement of Rep. Giffords’ resignation to focus on her on-going recovery from last year’s shooting ought to make tomorrow’s lecture at the University of Nebraska even more interesting.

Astronaut Mark Kelly, Giffords’ husband, is this year’s lecturer in the four-year-old Hoagland lecture series.

From the UNL press release:

Kelly and Giffords co-authored a memoir “Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope,”  released Nov. 15. The book explores Kelly’s public service as a pilot and astronaut, his wife’s service as an Arizona state legislator and member of Congress, and their struggles in the aftermath of the shooting. Kelly is expected to touch on similar themes in his UNL appearance.

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The Hoagland lecture series honors former Nebraska state senator and three-term Congressman Peter Hoagland, who died in 2007 from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 65.