McCullough to spend weekend at Vassar

Brian Farkas News Editor

“David McCullough does not want to be called a national treasure, but he is,” said actor and producer Tom Hanks, at the Boston premiere of the HBO miniseries John Adams on March 18. “David McCullough also shies from being called a sex symbol,” he continued. “But he is.”

Hanks, executive producer of the miniseries and 2005 Vassar commencement speaker, captures the fervor surrounding the freelance historian. On April 5, McCullough will deliver the 2008 Randolph Distinguished Scholar lecture, “Why History Matters,” kicking off a month-long series of programming on John and Abigail Adams.

McCullough, 74, one of the most widely read historians in the United States, is the author of Truman, 1776 and The Path Between the Seas. His books have been praised for their exceptional narrative sweep, scholarship and insight into American life. His biography John Adams, which has sold over two million copies, immediately climbed to the top of The New York Times bestseller list, where it remained for over than a year.

McCullough will be on campus all weekend, leading discussions with students, alumnae/i, and members of the Poughkeepsie community. “We really wanted to make his visit here an inclusive one,” said Director of Development for Regional Programming John Mihaly ’74, who has been coordinating this month’s events. “We’re going to be having a number of different tracks—for students, for alumnae/i, for local teachers—both for his visit and for the Adams project as a whole.”

McCullough’s visit will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 5, when he will lead “The Vassar Classroom Revisited” with Professor of History James Merrell. This discussion is part of an ongoing effort by the Office of Regional Programming to provide events to connect alumnae/i with similar interests.

The President’s Alumni Council, a group of alumnae/i who advise the President on a variety of matters, will convene on campus that weekend and will attend the discussion with McCullough and Merrell, as well as other invited alumnae/i.

At 3:30 p.m., McCullough will sit down with local high school teachers of American history to discuss their curricula and methodologies. Then, at 5 p.m., he will deliver the Randolph lecture in the Chapel. Tickets are required for the event, which can seat up to 1,100 people, although admission is free of charge. Some 250 tickets will be put on reserve for members of the local community.

Finally, McCullough will conclude his day with a special dinner in his honor hosted by President Catharine Bond Hill. Select alumnae/i will be invited, along with five history students, the four professors of American history and the Senior Officers of the College.

“This is just so unusual,” said Mihaly. “He often gives public lectures, but rarely does he make the time to really sit down with so many people. Members of our community are going to have several unique opportunities to sit down with him and really have conversations.”

Although McCullough’s speaking fee has not been disclosed, he typically lectures for about $50,000, according to allamericanspeakers.com. Support for his visit, and for the broad range of Adams projects in the coming month, has been provided by a variety of sources including contributions from Dola Davis Stemberg ’74 and John and Julia ’64 Blodgett Curtis.

The lecture itself is provided by the endowed Randolph series, which helps to bring distinguished scholars to campus. One recent Randolph speaker was renowned philosopher Sir Anthony Kenny, former president of the British Academy and current president of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, considered the world’s leading expert on Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein.

The Office of Regional Programs has arranged several campus visits with prominent lecturers and celebrities, including Robert Macnamara, Tom Hanks and Lisa Kudrow ’85. McCullough’s visit was the result of a “series of happy coincidences,” according to Mihaly.

Jeffrey Bewkes, a Vassar parent and former president of HBO, partnered with Hanks and McCullough on the miniseries. Nancy Baker, a Vassar alumna and Director of Development for the Massachusetts Historical Society, also helped both McCullough and the letters to Vassar.

Merrell has integrated McCullough’s visit into the curriculum of his course on Revolutionary America. “For my history class, this is going to be a wonderful opportunity to speak with one of the authors with whom they have been grappling,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to discussing historical memory—hearing what sort of history he thinks is remembered, and what kind of history is forgotten.”

Merrell’s class of 29 students will have brunch with McCullough on Sunday. “McCullough is certainly one of the most renowned popular historians, and clearly someone who believes that Americans need to pay attention to history—a position that I and others certainly agree with,” he said. “Students will learn a lot from speaking with him and asking questions of his work.”

Chair of the History Major’s Committee Julia Schatz ’08 shared Merrell’s anticipation for McCullough’s visit. “The lecture will be a great opportunity for Vassar students interested in the study of history to hear someone who has become so successful in that field,” she said. “Given that McCullough has been able to make his scholarship accessible and popular beyond the realm of academia, I hope that students of all disciplines will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.”