Press Releases

Noted History Professor to Speak about Lincoln at Memorial Museum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 31, 2007

Contact: Nancy Coggins, APR
405.235.3313 or 405.760.9053
ncoggins@oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org

NOTED HISTORY PROFESSOR TO SPEAK
AT OKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIAL & MUSEUM
Talk will focus on Lincoln and his place in America’s Legacy of Liberty

OKLAHOMA CITY – University of Oklahoma professor Dr. J Rufus Fears will present Lincoln and Lee at Gettysburg: A President’s Quest for Freedom at the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum, Tuesday, September 18.

“Lincoln was such an enigmatic president, and was not well known at the time of his election. Dr. Fears has such an incredible ability of allowing us to peek into history and get to know Lincoln in a way no book can do,” said Kari F. Watkins, Oklahoma City National Memorial’s executive director. “Dr. Fears’ story-telling acumen and passion for history bring history to life and make us look at it from an entirely different perspective.”

The lecture is being held in conjunction with Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War exhibition, a traveling exhibit on loan from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, held over through December 15, 2007.

The September 18 lecture will begin with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at 5 p.m. and the lecture at 6 p.m. Tickets are available for $25 each and can be reserved by calling the Memorial at 405.235.3313.

Fears is David Ross Boyd Professor of Classics at the University of Oklahoma, where he holds the G. T. and Libby Blankenship Chair in the History of Liberty.

Fears received his Ph.D. from Harvard University. He is an internationally distinguished scholar and has published numerous books and articles on classical studies, the history of liberty, and the lessons of the past for our own day. He is also the author of a series of widely acclaimed original books on tape, published by the Teaching Company: “A History of Freedom, Famous Greeks, Famous Romans”,” Winston Churchill”, and” Books That Have Made History-Books That Can Change Your Life.”

On 22 occasions, Fears has been recognized for outstanding teaching excellence. In 1996, 1999, and 2000, students at the University of Oklahoma chose him as the outstanding Professor of the Year. In 2005, the University Continuing Education Association recognized him with its National Award for Teaching Excellence. In the same year, he received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Classical Association of the Middle West and South. Students at the University of Oklahoma named him “The Most Inspiring Professor” for the year 2005.
Fears is currently writing a book on America’s Legacy of Liberty.

The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum was created to honor “those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever” by the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The Memorial and Museum are dedicated to educating visitors about the impact of violence, informing about events surrounding the bombing, and inspiring hope and healing through lessons learned by those affected.
For more information on the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, call 405.235.3313 or visit www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org.

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