Lincoln expert and author to visit Centre as part of first-year student reading event

RELEASED: March 13, 2008

DANVILLE, KY—Andrew Ferguson, author of "Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe's America," will be visiting Centre College this fall as part of its "Year of Lincoln" celebration. Ferguson's visit will inaugurate a series of exciting events currently being planned at the College in recognition of the man many consider to be the nation's most influential president.

Incoming freshmen at Centre are assigned a required reading book, and this year the book selection committee decided to tie the reading into the campus's celebration of Lincoln. Members of the committee perused or read more than 20 books before unanimously choosing "Land of Lincoln."

"Everyone who surveyed Ferguson's eclectic book immediately concluded, 'That's it!'" says committee member Milton Reigelman, professor of English and director of international programs. "We were looking for something that a wide variety of incoming first-year students would not only read cover-to-cover, but also be excited about. Ferguson's inclusiveness and intelligent journalistic style were just what we were searching for."

Penelope Wong, committee member and assistant professor of education, says that Ferguson's book about Lincoln was the only one she didn't want to put down.

"Nothing is sacred to Ferguson. Lincoln haters and Lincoln admirers alike are given their say, and their responses are fascinating—and often entertaining," Wong says. "On the literary road trip through Lincoln historical sites, Ferguson provides the reader with not only scholarly information about Lincoln, but also fascinating glimpses into what ordinary people around the United States think of him."

Centre will also help kick off its "Year of Lincoln" during the 2008 Brass Brand Festival held in Danville in June. The College received a Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (KALBC) grant through the Kentucky Historical Society to help fund "Strike Up The Band: Lincoln Comes Home," a presentation by actors portraying Lincoln and his lifelong friend and law partner John Todd Stuart.

Stuart, Centre Class of 1826, helped set Lincoln on the road to extraordinary success. In 1832, he loaned his good friend Lincoln—who was at the time contemplating a career as a blacksmith—his first set of law books with which to study. After Lincoln passed the bar, Stuart became his first law partner.

Wong says that all Centre students should learn about Lincoln.

"No matter what one might feel about his policies and legacy, he was undisputedly one of the most influential individuals in the 19th century," she says. "For that reason alone, it would seem necessary to have a basic understanding of this individual. I think it's important for people—not just students, but anyone—to have the opportunity to discuss and examine Lincoln 'the individual' in an intellectual setting."

The book selection committee members hope that these and other special campus events, along with the traditional book discussions, will result in engaging conversations and examinations of Lincoln throughout the year.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

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