NEW ORLEANS – On Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 6:00 pm, The National World War II Museum will continue its highly successful General Raymond E. Mason, Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series on World War II with a presentation by Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author, Rick Atkinson. Atkinson, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning An Army at Dawn and its sequel, best-seller The Day of Battle, will present “Bringing Back the Dead: History, Memory and Writing About War”.
Devoted to the legacy of America’s largest war, the Mason Lecture Series focuses on the war’s continuing relevance to both the 21st-century and the Greatest Generation’s heirs – the sons and daughters of the men and women who fought in the conflict.
The next presentation in the Mason Lecture Series will be on Wednesday, May 6, 2009, at 6:00 pm, featuring Donald L. Miller. His topic will be “Does Bombing Work? The Lessons of Dresden”. The John Henry MacCracken Professor of History at Lafayette College, Miller has hosted the series A Biography of America on PBS and has appeared in numerous other PBS programs in the American Experience series. He is the author of eight previous books, among them D-Days in the Pacific and Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany.
The Mason Lecture Series is made possible through the generosity of Major General and Mrs. Raymond E. Mason Jr. and the Raymond E. Mason Foundation. A native of Columbus, Ohio, General Mason served in the European Theater of Operations during World War II in the 4th Armored Division of General George S. Patton’s Third Army. Prior to retiring from the military in 1976, he held several high-ranking Pentagon positions, including Assistant Deputy Chief for Operations and Special Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Logistics.
The National World War II Museum is proud to present the Mason Lecture Series as free community events, but seating is limited. Reservations are required. For more information on this and future lectures in this series, call 504-527-6012 x 345 or email jeremy.collins@nationalww2museum.org. Registration is also available online at www.nationalww2museum.org.
The National World War II Museum tells the story of the American Experience in the war that changed the world – why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today – so that all generations will understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn. Dedicated in 2000 as The National D-Day Museum and now designated by Congress as the nation’s official World War II Museum, it celebrates the American Spirit, the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifice of the men and women who fought on the battlefront and the Home Front. For more information, call 504-527-6012 or visit www.nationalww2museum.org.