The University of Mary Washington presents its 2016 Chappell Great Lives Lecture Series beginning Thursday, Jan. 14.
Now in its 13th year, the four-month series examines the lives of historical figures told through lectures by nationally prominent biographers and authors. The talks will be held at 7:30 p.m. on selected Tuesdays and Thursdays in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium and are open to the public free of charge.
“The Great Lives series has gained popularity each year, with cumulative attendance each season totaling more than 10,000,” said William B. Crawley, director of the series and distinguished professor emeritus of history at UMW.
“One of the distinguishing features of the Great Lives series for 2016 is the extraordinary variety of topics,” said Crawley. “This year’s program will feature biographies of significant figures in the fields of literature, the environment, U.S. presidents, music and many more.”
The series will open with a lecture on Jack London by James Haley. With a total of 18 lectures, the Great Lives series will present major historical figures such as Dwight D. Eisenhower and Charles Darwin, as well as notable people from entertainment and the arts including Johnny Cash, Georgia O’Keeffe and Bob Hope.
Of particular interest to the current first-year students at UMW is Rebecca Skloot’s lecture on Thursday, Jan. 28. Each first-year student received a copy of Rebecca Skloot’s New York Times Bestseller The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks with a reading and writing assignment to prepare for August orientation programming and discussions.
Each program includes a Q&A session with the audience and book signing by the author or speaker. Books will be available for purchase in the Dodd foyer the night of the lecture.
For more information and a complete listing of lectures, visit www.umw.edu/greatlives or call the Office of University Events and Conferencing at 540-654-1065.