October 12, 2007

Symposium to focus on life of Abraham Lincoln

By PENNY E. SCHWARTZ
Special to The Press-Enterprise

As part of its yearlong 75th anniversary observance, the Lincoln Shrine will hold a symposium on the life of Abraham Lincoln on Oct. 20 and 21.

Ten of the nation's best-known Lincoln scholars will participate in the gathering at the University of Redlands.

Each of the scholars is a past speaker at the shrine's annual Watchorn Lincoln dinner, held in February to honor Lincoln's birthday.

"This is the first time we've done something like this," said shrine curator Don McCue. "We thought it would be special for the 75th anniversary to bring back some of the most popular speakers of the past 20 years."

Speakers will address all aspects of Lincoln's life, including his intellectual pursuits, his decision-making and his reasons for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, McCue said.

"We will even discuss his personality quirks that so interest people," he said.

Speakers will include Frank Williams, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island, founding chairman of the Lincoln Forum and co-author of a book on the Emancipation Proclamation with Harold Holzer and Edna Greene Medford.

Williams will give a presentation for Holzer, who had to withdraw from the conference for family reasons.

Also speaking will be Medford, a history professor at Howard University and a nationally recognized lecturer on blacks in slavery and freedom. James McPherson, a U.S. history professor emeritus at Princeton University and Pulitzer Prize winner for "Battle Cry of Freedom," will be another speaker.

Others are Ronald Rietveld, a history professor at Cal State Fullerton, who teaches 19th century American history; history professor Jean Baker from Goucher College, author of "Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography;" Ronald White, professor emeritus at San Francisco Theological Seminary, author of "The Eloquent President and Lincoln's Greatest Speech."

Other Lincoln authors at the conference will be David Long, Charles Strozier and Douglas Wilson. Wilson is a two-time winner of the Lincoln Prize for his books on Lincoln.

"I don't know when we will repeat something like this, maybe for the shrine's centennial," McCue said. "It is a unique opportunity to see nine Lincoln scholars in one location."

The symposium will run 9 a.m. through dinner Oct. 20 and 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 21. The Sunday morning session will be a roundtable forum featuring all the attending scholars.

The event is nearly sold out. Cost for both days is $110, including two breakfasts, one lunch and one dinner plus all six sessions. For more information, call 909-798-7632.