Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and New York Times’ best-selling author David McCullough will appear at Belmont University on March 30 as the official conclusion of the year-long campus celebration of the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate. McCullough, the final keynote presenter in Belmont’s 2008-09 “Art of Being Free” lecture series, will speak on “Leadership and the History You Don’t Know” on Mon., March 30 at 7 p.m. in the Curb Event Center. The event is free and open to the public, though tickets are required.
Among his numerous accolades, McCullough was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, in December 2006. He also received an honorary degree from his alma mater of Yale that noted, “As an historian, [McCullough] paints with words, giving us pictures of the American people that live, breathe, and above all, confront the fundamental issues of courage, achievement and moral character.”
Belmont University Provost Dr. Dan McAlexander said, “David McCullough is a national treasure. A brilliant writer who brings his subjects to full life through vivid narrative and painstaking research, he has expanded our understanding of America’s history in all its rich complexity. We are honored to have him on the Belmont campus and thrilled to be able to share this experience with the Nashville community.”
Born in Pittsburgh, David McCullough received a bachelor’s in English literature from Yale University in 1955, and has since been awarded more than 40 honorary degrees. He has twice received the Pulitzer Prize, for Truman and John Adams, and twice received the National Book Award, for The Path Between the Seas and Mornings on Horseback. His other widely praised books are 1776, Brave Companions, The Great Bridge and The Johnstown Flood. He has been honored with the National Book Foundation Distinguished Contribution to American Letters Award, the National Humanities Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In addition, McCullough has enjoyed a high television profile, hosting two PBS series: Smithsonian World and The American Experience. He has also narrated many acclaimed documentaries, including Ken Burns’ The Civil War, Brooklyn Bridge and The Statue of Liberty.
Tickets for McCullough’s appearance are available now at the Curb Event Center box office, which is open Monday thru Friday from noon-4 p.m. and on Thursdays from noon-6 p.m. Tickets may also be ordered over the phone by calling 615/460-8500 during box office hours.
