FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 21, 2003

CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119

PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN AND PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING COMPOSER TO GIVE BUCKSBAUM LECTURES AT DRAKE

Presidential historian Michael Beschloss will give the Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture at Drake University on April 15 instead of April 17 as originally scheduled. The date has been changed to avoid a conflict with the Passover holiday.

Beschloss, the author of seven books, will present his lecture titled "Democracy in a Time of Crisis" at 7:30 p.m. April 15 in the Drake Knapp Center, 2601 Forest Ave. A reception and book signing will follow. These events are free and open to the public.

In observation of National Library Week (April 6-12), the Drake Libraries are encouraging students, faculty and staff to read at least a section of Beschloss' most recent book - "The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945."
The section recommended by Beschloss covers pages 38 through 67.

Cowles Library will be receiving several copies of the book soon, said Susan Breakenridge, coordinator of the Bucksbaum Lecture Series. "We also are working on copyright approval to make it available as an electronic reserve item," she added.

Described by Newsweek as "the nation's leading presidential historian," Beschloss is the author of seven books, a regular commentator on PBS's "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" and a contributor to ABC News. He has written books about John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson and is now working on a history of Abraham Lincoln's last days and assassination.

The next lecture in the Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture Series at Drake University will be given by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and musician Wynton Marsalis.

Marsalis will give a lecture titled "Leadership: The Creative Process" at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 22 in the Drake Knapp Center, then perform a concert with the Wynton Marsalis Septet at 9:30 p.m. on the Jordan Stage in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main, 26th Street and University Avenue. The lecture is free and open to the public. Concert tickets will go on sale in September at the Drake Fine Arts Box Office.

Marsalis, who has garnered nine Grammy Awards, is the first jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize in music. He received the prize for his epic oratorio on the subject of slavery, "Blood in the Fields." He serves as artistic director of the internationally recognized Jazz at Lincoln Center Program, which includes the popular Marsalis' Jazz for Young People series. Since his debut album was released in 1982, Marsalis' numerous jazz and classical recordings have sold nearly 5 million copies worldwide. He has taken his jazz groups to 30 countries on six continents and is the author of "Sweet Swing Blues on the Road," an in-depth chronicle of his touring life. In 1996 Time magazine named Marsalis among America's 25 most influential people.

The Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture Series is made possible by a gift from Melva and the late Martin Bucksbaum, former chairman and president of General Growth Corp. and long-time member of Drake's governing board.

For more information about the Bucksbaum Lecture Series, call (515) 271-3994 or send an e-mail message to susan.breakenridge@drake.edu.