Author and historian Douglas Brinkley to give Cutchins Distinguished Lecture on April 6

Best-selling author, presidential historian for CNN, and Rice University Professor of History Douglas Brinkley will give the Cutchins Distinguished Lecture on April 6 on Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg campus.

Brinkley’s presentation will be at 7:30 p.m. in Burruss Auditorium, 800 Drillfield Drive. The event is free and open to the public, and no tickets are required

CNN describes Brinkley as “a man who knows more about the presidency than just about any human being alive.” The New York Times has selected eight of his histories for its Notable Book of the Year lists, and his “The Reagan Diaries” sat as No. 1 on its bestseller list for many weeks.

Brinkley’s most recent book is “Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America.” It is the third volume in his U.S. Conservation Cycle series. In addition, he is a frequent contributor to The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic, and the Audubon Magazine.

He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Century Association, and the Society of American Historians.

Brinkley earned his bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University and his doctorate in U.S. diplomatic history from Georgetown University.

In 1993, he received the Franklin Roosevelt Naval History Prize for “Driven Patriot” and in 1998 the Benjamin Franklin Award for “The American Heritage History.”

Brinkley also is actively involved with the conservation community. In 2015, he earned the Robin W. Winks Award for Enhancing Public Understanding of National Parks by the National Parks Conservation Association.

The Cutchins Distinguished Lecture is sponsored by the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, the corps’ Maj. Gen. W. Thomas Rice Center for Leader Development, and the Pamplin College of Business. The lecture is held in celebration of Founders Day.

The Rice Center aims to educate cadets about leadership and prepare them to be leaders of integrity and ability. It is named in honor of the late W. Thomas Rice, a retired railroad industry executive and former rector of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. A member of the Class of 1934, Rice received his degree in civil engineering.

The lecture series is named for the late Clifford A. Cutchins III, a former bank chairman and Board of Visitors rector. A member of the Class of 1944, Cutchins received his degree in accounting.

Both were members of the Corps of Cadets.

Free parking for the Cutchins Distinguished Lecture is available around the Drillfield, in the Perry Street lots, and in the Perry Street parking garage near Prices Fork Road. Find more parking information online or call 540-231-3200.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation for this event, please contact 540-231-9457 or nhward@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 days prior to the event.

Written by Cadet Jasmine Jacobs, a senior from Newport News, Virginia, majoring in public relations