Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University and prolific biographer, will be the featured speaker at the 21st R. Dan Boulware Convocation on Critical Issues at Missouri Western State University at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4 in the M.O. Looney Complex on the Missouri Western campus. The Convocation is free and open to the public. Brinkley’s most recent book is “Cronkite,” a New York Times bestselling biography of St. Joseph native son Walter Cronkite, and he is speaking on the topic “The Most Trusted Man in America: Celebrating the Life and Journalistic Integrity of Walter Cronkite.” He will speak on what would have been the legendary newsman’s 98th birthday.
Dr. Brinkley will also participate in a question-and-answer session at the annual Convocation Luncheon at noon Nov. 4 in the Fulkerson Center. The cost of the lunch is $40, and reservations are requested by Oct. 27. Contact Jenna Stevens at 816-271-5646 or jstevens18@missouriwestern.edu.
Douglas Brinkley currently is a professor of history at Rice University. His most recent book is “Cronkite,” a New York Times bestseller, in which he brings the American icon into focus as never before by drawing on unprecedented access to his private papers as well as interviews with the anchorman’s family and friends. He is a sought-after commentator on U.S. presidential history and has written books on Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan as well as presidential candidate John Kerry.
Six of Dr. Brinkley’s books have been selected as New York Times “Notable Books of the Year.” “The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast” (2006) was the recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award. “The Great Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America” (2009) was the recipient of the National Outdoor Book Award.
Before coming to Rice, Dr. Brinkley served as professor of history and director of the Roosevelt Center at Tulane University in New Orleans. From 1994 to 2005, he was Stephen E. Ambrose Professor of History and Director of the Eisenhower Center for American Studies at the University of New Orleans, co-writing two books with Dr. Ambrose. On the literary front, Dr. Brinkley has edited Jack Kerouac’s diaries, Hunter S. Thompson’s letters and Theodore Dreiser’s travelogue. He has also written books on Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks and Cold Warrior Dean Acheson.
He won the Benjamin Franklin Award for “The American Heritage History of the United States” (1998) and the Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt Naval History Prize for “Driven Patriot: The Life and Times of James Forrestal” (1992). He was awarded the BusinessWeek Book of the Year Award for “Wheels for the World: Henry Ford, His Company and a Century of Progress” (2003).
Dr. Brinkley is a contributing editor for “Vanity Fair,” “The Los Angeles Times Book Review” and “American Heritage.”
Dr. Brinkley completed his bachelor’s degree at Ohio State University and received his doctorate in U.S. Diplomatic History from Georgetown University in 1989. He lives in Austin and Houston, Texas with his wife and three children.
Missouri Western inaugurated the R. Dan Boulware Convocation on Critical Issues program in 1993. The program was started as part of an overall commitment to offer enriching experiences to students while bringing together the college and community. The Convocation is held in honor of R. Dan Boulware, former president of the Board of Regents. Previous Convocation speakers include: Bill Bradley, James Carville & Mary Matalin, Sam Donaldson, Steve Forbes, Thomas Friedman, David Gergen, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Newt Gingrich, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Jeane Kirkpatrick, Jerry Linenger, David McCullough, Joseph Nye, T. Boone Pickens, Colin Powell, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., Daniel Schorr, Patricia Schroeder, J. C. Watts and Bob Woodward.
The Convocation on Critical Issues and Convocation Luncheon are sponsored by the Missouri Western State University Foundation.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.