Widener
University Series to Kick Off Sept. 29 with Alan Alda
Philadelphia, Pa.—Last night, the
Philadelphia Speakers Series announced the speakers for its 2014-15 season –
seven lectures on Monday evenings at 8 p.m. at The Kimmel Center.
Presented by Widener University and
celebrating its 11th season this fall, the series will feature award-winning
actor Alan Alda (September 29), former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard
(October 20), film documentary producer/director Ken Burns (November 10),
former U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe (January 5, 2015), former Presidential
advisor and current CNN political commentator David Gergen (February 9, 2015),
Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough (March 16, 2015), and former CBS
News anchorman Dan Rather (May 4, 2015).
“Widener University is proud to
present the Philadelphia Speakers Series, an outstanding opportunity for our
community to benefit from the perspectives of national and world leaders,
authors, activists, historians, humanitarians and other influential
individuals,” said Widener University President James T. Harris, III. “We
look forward to seven more powerful and memorable evenings that will both
enlighten and inform our audiences.”
From Hawkeye Pierce on M*A*S*H
to Arnold Vinick on The West Wing, Alan Alda has been a staple on American
television for more than four decades. He earned 32 Emmy nominations and six
Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. Well known for California Suite, The
Four Seasons and other movies, he also was nominated for an Academy Award
for The Aviator.
Julia Gillard’s political career was
crowned by her service as Prime Minister of Australia and leader of the
Australian Labor Party from 2010 to 2013. She was the first woman to hold
either position. Born in Wales, Gillard moved with her family to Adelaide when
she was a child. Her earlier political career included numerous cabinet and
shadow cabinet positions.
Ken Burns has directed and produced
some of the most acclaimed documentaries ever made, including The Civil War
(1990), Baseball (1994), The War (2007) and Prohibition
(2011). His films have won 12 Emmy Awards and two Oscar nominations. In 2008,
Burns received the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Lifetime
Achievement Award.
Named one of America’s 10 Best
Senators by Time magazine in 2006, Olympia Snowe became widely known for
her ability to influence the outcome of close votes in the U.S. Senate. She was
the youngest Republican woman elected to the U.S. Congress and is also the
first woman to have served in both houses of a state legislature and both
houses of the U.S. Congress.
David Gergen served as a
presidential advisor during the administrations of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford,
Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Now a senior political analyst for CNN and a
professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, his election team coverage has twice
won the Peabody Award, once with the MacNeil/Lehrer Report and once with
CNN.
David McCullough is the acclaimed
author of Truman, John Adams, and most recently, The Greater
Journey. This two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book
Award has been called a national treasure. A gifted storyteller, he has
narrated several PBS documentaries, including The Civil War and Napoleon,
and the motion picture Seabiscuit.
Dan Rather anchored the CBS Evening
News for 24 years, from 1981 to 2005. During this time, he also contributed to
CBS’s 60 Minutes. Rather is now the managing editor and anchor of the
cable television news magazine, Dan Rather Reports. In 2012, he released
his bestseller, Rather Outspoken, his book on his life and the state of
journalism today.
Presented by Widener University, the
Philadelphia Speakers Series is sponsored by WHYY and The Haverford Trust
Company.
The Philadelphia Speakers Series is
sold by series subscription only. Subscription prices range from $265 to $515.
(Prices are for tickets to all seven lectures.) For subscriptions or
information, visit www.PhiladelphiaSpeakersSeries.org,
or call 215-893-1955.
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