Previous Speakers
2004-05 Speakers
HER MAJESTY QUEEN NOOR
Tuesday, September 21, 2004 – 8:15 p.m.
Her Majesty Queen Noor was born Lisa Najeeb Halaby to an Arab-American family distinguished for its public service. She earned a B.A. in Architecture and Urban Planning from Princeton University. As Queen of Jordan, she initiated and directed projects impacting education, culture, women and children’s welfare, human rights, conflict resolution, community development, environmental and architectural conservation, public architecture and urban planning. Queen Noor chairs the King Hussein Foundation, established to give expression to the late King’s humanitarian vision and founded the King Hussein Foundation International to develop international support and partnerships for peace-building initiatives. She is an important figure in championing international exchange and understanding of Middle Eastern politics, Arab-Western relations and humanitarian issues.
TIM RUSSERT
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Before joining NBC News in 1984, Tim Russert observed first-hand the inner workings of government as counselor in the New York Governor’s office and as special counsel in the United States Senate. Meet the Press, which Russert has headed since 1991, is the world’s most quoted news program. In addition to being that program’s managing editor and moderator, he is political analyst for NBC Nightly News and the Today program and Senior Vice President/Washington bureau chief of NBC News. Russert’s Election 2000 Meet the Press inter-views with George W. Bush and Al Gore won the Radio and Television Correspondents’ highest honor. Both the National Father’s Day Committee and Parents magazine have recognized Russert as an exceptional father.
THOMAS FRIEDMAN
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
New York Times veteran, Thomas Friedman, is known for straight talk and reliable information. His insightful NYT post-9/11 column earned Friedman a third Pulitzer Prize. A frequent guest on current affairs programs, he hosts a segment on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. His latest book, Longitudes and Attitudes, records a journey from Afghanistan to Israel, Europe, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia to analyze post-9/11 thought and reactions. Friedman’s National Book Award winner, From Beirut to Jerusalem, is a basic text on the Middle East in many colleges and universities nationwide. His book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, explains globalization’s effect on politics, culture and economics and has been called “simply the best book written on globalization.”
DAVID McCULLOUGH
Tuesday, April 5, 2005 – 8:15 p.m.
David McCullough has twice won both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. John Adams, his most recent work, hit The New York Times bestseller list at number one and has remained on the list for more than a year. His other books include The Johnstown Flood, The Great Bridge, The Path between the Seas, Mornings on Horseback, Brave Companions and Truman. As may be said of few writers, none of his books has ever been out of print. McCullough has also been an editor, essayist, teacher, lecturer, public television host of Smithsonian World and The American Experience and narrator of documentaries including The Civil War and Napoleon. He is a past president of the Society of American Historians.