Reception & Dinner with Guest Speaker Dr. James I. Robertson

September Reception & Dinner Event

Speaker: Dr. James I. Robertson

Alumni Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus, Virginia Tech

One of the most distinguished names in Civil War history, Dr. Robertson was Executive Director of the U.S. Civil War Centennial Commission and worked with Presidents Truman, Kennedy, and Johnson in marking the war’s 100th anniversary. Today, as an Alumni Distinguished Professor in History,  his Civil War Era course at Virginia Tech, which attracts 300 students per semester, is the largest of its kind in the nation.

Presentation Description:

The United States as we know it was born in 1865, after four years of the bloodiest fighting this nation has ever known.  Yet the legacies of that conflict are so many and so far-reaching that it is difficult to think of what America was like prior to the Civil War.  The talk will range from the federal government to personal hygiene, with a lot of "shockers" in between.

Biography:  

Robertson is often termed the dean of Civil War historians in the United States.  He is a native of Danville, Va., with a B. A. degree from Randolph-Macon College and M. A. and Ph.D. degrees from Emory University.  In 1961 he was appointed by President John Kennedy as Executive Director of the U. S. Civil War Centennial Commission. He joined the Virginia Tech faculty in 1967, and over a 44-year period, he taught an elective course in Civil War history that attracted 22,000 students.

Robertson is the author or editor of 40 books.  His path-breaking biography of Confederate Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson was the base for the Warner Bros./Ted Turner movie, "Gods and Generals."  Robertson served as historical consultant for the film and worked closely with actors Robert Duvall and Stephen Lang.

In 2007 the Virginia Senate appointed Robertson a charter member of the Virginia Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission.  That agency is widely regarded as being the most productive and esteemed of all states involved in commemorating the 150th anniversary years of the Civil War.

He is the father of the new state anthem, "Our Great Virginia," adopted by law in 2015.

His latest book is: Robert E. Lee: A Reference Guide to His Life and Works.

  The Place at Innsbrook
Reception ~ 5:45pm
Dinner ~ 6:30pm
Adjourn ~ 8pm
Coat & Tie Required

Please Register by September 4th

  Guest Fee ~ $50

(Applied to joining fee if Guest applies within the month)