Author David McCullough has written on Presidents and history for 45 years; winning the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. He received the Pulitzer Price twice and also the National Book Award. It was an honor this week to finally meet him and shake his hand. His wife of 60 years, Rosalee was delightful; she exhorted us to never stop reading out loud to our children.
His new book about the Wright Brothers comes out on May 5, 2015; a result of digging deeper into the story of these remarkable men and finding much that he did not expect: www.davidmccullough.com
In his book about Paris in the 1800s he chronicles the vast influence of the returning Americans who grew, learned, and flourished in Paris. It's unique to consider the massive early French influence on the initial formation of the USA.
He imports the cause/effect, action/reaction, give/take of human nature that is studied in the field of History. He believes Truman, John Adams, Washington, Lincoln, FDR, and Theodore Roosevelt are the greatest presidents, but that all the "great" presidents were readers of history.
One of the best interviews I have ever watched was conducted on the Charlie Rose Show where David McCullough spent 52 min. recounting his great life in the study of history. McCullough told us in person, he loves Charlie Rose and was delighted at how well that interview turned out!
http://www.hulu.com/watch/249382
He stresses how important reading, writing, and the liberal arts are to education, which [at 42:20] he claims it is the basis of who we are as a nation [centering the discussion on Education at 43:30].
He states [at 12:34] the essential nature of the study of
history to any position of leadership, and that a liberal arts education is the
under-pinning of any further profession because of the depth it adds to the
student in later years [11:48]. (Oh, how I agree!)
Mr. McCullough reminds listeners that the "Arab
Spring" and other democratic uprisings show that the peoples of the world
want what we take for granted here: the opportunity to live under a Bill of
Rights, individual freedoms guaranteed by laws, and not men, and the ability to
learn and develop our own strengths. "This is the country's great
strength," he says. He adds that much of this civic development is provided
by teachers, especially teachers of history (his son is a teacher).
He carried himself with dignity, grace, charm, and a sense
of purpose. His work stands by itself but as a person, I found him sharp,
engaging, and funny; although it doesn't appear this way in the picture above
snapped of us at the meeting. In every way he was a humble human being who you'd love to have as a professor.
(Quote) "I think it's important to remember that these men are not perfect. If they were marble gods, what they did wouldn't be so admirable. The more we see the founders as humans the more we can understand them." by David McCullough
Blog post ©Mark H. Pillsbury
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