For some attendees, the star of the final event of the 2015-16 Jefferson Series will be a new face to know and appreciate.
But for those who appreciate the New Albany library, he’s more like an old friend.
Author, historian and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough, a Pittsburgh native and Yale alumnus, signed his first book contract in December 1965 and has been writing about U.S. history ever since. He loves to delve into the history of the country, and he makes it a goal to bring attention to the deserving and give historical figures credit that’s long overdue.
Photo courtesy of William McCullough
Among his many subjects have been John Adams, Harry Truman and the Wright Brothers. His 1993 biography on Truman was turned into an HBO movie with Gary Sinise in the title role, and his 2001 biography on Adams became a critically successful HBO miniseries starring Paul Giamatti. The Wright Brothers is his most recent book, published this past year, and he has, he says, a few ideas for future books “in incubation.”
McCullough received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the nation, from President Bush in 2006.
McCullough’s day at the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts is June 8.
It won’t be his first trip to New Albany. One of his most significant visits came in 2002, when he was the featured speaker at A Remarkable Evening.
The draw that year, and one of the subjects of his talk: the drive toward the opening of the New Albany branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Proceeds from the event benefited the New Albany Community Foundation’s fund to establish the library’s book collection.
McCullough found the foundation’s efforts to build up the collection – and, by extension, the community’s dedication to opening its own library – decidedly admirable. That this was the foundation’s first major fundraising effort in New Albany made it all the more impressive, he says.
“It should set an example for the whole country,” McCullough says.
McCullough was back for the library system’s Celebration of Learning event in 2003.
McCullough is a huge fan of public libraries, the model behind them and the fact that there are so many available in the U.S. He also believes they helped him get where he is today; after all, he is from Pittsburgh, where the first U.S. Carnegie Library was built in the late 1800s.
“Unfortunately, too many people take it for granted, but there’s no nation in the world that has anything comparable to our library system,” he says.
As a historian – and one with more than 50 years of experience, at that – McCullough is keenly aware of the public library’s presence in the essence of our nation. He recalls Thomas Jefferson’s quote, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”
“If you ever (feel) down about the status of the culture in America, just remember, there are still more public libraries in this country than there are McDonald’s,” McCullough says.
He also sees libraries as cultural benchmarks – “just like having a symphony orchestra or an art museum of programs for young people,” he says – and lauds not just the books, but the librarians, who are almost always fountains of knowledge themselves.
One point McCullough likes to stress – one of the most obvious lessons of history, he says – is that almost nothing of consequence is ever accomplished alone, and the community effort that went into the library is a prime example.
McCullough’s connection to New Albany predates the library effort. One of his old college friends is Jaquelin Robertson, an architect who played a major role in the 1980s transformation of New Albany and also designed the New Albany Country Club, and he’s watched as the community has evolved over the last few decades.
“There’s an energy there and a sense of confidence that is infectious and enjoyable for a visitor,” McCullough says.
Photo courtesy of Hinson Ltd
But even if he didn’t have these direct connections to New Albany, McCullough would find reasons to head to Ohio from his home in Boston. His years spent writing about the Wright Brothers and other luminaries from Ohio’s history have given him a sense of the state’s effect on its residents and what they have accomplished.
“There’s something about Ohio that I think is especially representative of the best (of) America,” he says.
Besides, visiting communities for speaking gigs – last year, as he approached age 82, he lectured in 26 states – is an enjoyable endeavor for McCullough, as it helps him raise awareness of causes that interest him, get different perspectives on the issues of the day and see people working toward lofty and innovative goals.
“I find it a powerful antidote to so much of what we’re subjected to with television and politics of the day,” he says.
One of those causes that interest McCullough: a decline in historical knowledge among young people. He’s distressed any time he sees evidence of young people not knowing their U.S. history, and seeks opportunities to correct it.
“It’s a quiet, creeping loss of memory,” he says. “It’s not their faults. It’s our faults.”
Fortunately, in New Albany and communities like it, there’s a handy remedy: the library. And it’s not just for young people; McCullough emphasizes the importance of libraries for adults as well, and statistics show their usage going up, he says.
“I think that getting one’s library card is second only to, and maybe even ahead of, getting your driver’s license,” he says. “It releases you into new possibilities.”
Garth Bishop is managing editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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An Evening with David McCullough
7 p.m., June 8, Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts
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