Dedication Day

Dedication Day 2008

The Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, The National Park Service and Gettysburg College are delighted to announce that the Dedication Day Speaker for November 19, 2008 will be Ken Burns.  To read more about Ken Burns and his accomplishments, click here.   This event has been endorsed by the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the PA Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

    
   

November 19, 2007 
 Dedication Day Ceremony 

Speakers: The Honorable Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the Interior and
Jeff Shaara, bestselling historical Novelist

 
The Honorable Dirk Kempthorne

Dirk Kempthorne was confirmed as the 49th Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior on May 26, 2006, in a voice vote by the U.S. Senate. Kempthorne took the oath of office on the same day.

Prior to his confirmation as Secretary, Kempthorne served nearly two terms as Governor of Idaho, elected first in 1998 and reelected in 2002.

As Governor, Kempthorne worked to develop consensus on management of Idaho's and the West's natural resources. He worked with his colleagues in Oregon, Washington and Montana to develop an historic bipartisan agreement on a state-based solution for returning salmon runs in the region. Following the devastating wildfires of 2000, he worked with fellow western governors and federal officials to fundamentally change the approach to forest health and wildfire management. Under his leadership, Idaho developed wolf and grizzly bear management plans aimed at delisting the endangered species and giving the State of Idaho management responsibilities.

Before his terms as Governor, Kempthorne completed a successful six-year term in the United States Senate (1993-1999). As a Senator, he wrote, negotiated, and won passage of two major pieces of legislation: a bill to end unfunded federal mandates on state and local governments, and a substantial revision of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. He also worked to improve the quality of life for American active-duty military personnel, reservists, their families and veterans.

Dirk Kempthorne began his commitment to public service as the highly successful Mayor of the City of Boise (1985-1992). During his seven years in office, he helped direct a renaissance in the state's capital city that resulted in record growth, economic development and numerous national honors and recognitions for quality of life, business climate and family issues.

Secretary Kempthorne has been recognized by his peers as a national leader. As Governor, his colleagues elected him as the Chairman of the National Governors Association in August of 2003. He has served as President of the Council of State Governments and Chairman of the Western Governors Association. He served on the Executive Committees of the National Governors Association and the Republican Governors Association. Secretary of Education Rod Paige appointed then-Governor Kempthorne to the National Assessment Governing Board and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge appointed him to the Homeland Security Task Force.

Secretary Kempthorne and his wife Patricia are both University of Idaho graduates and have two grown children, Heather and Jeff.

Jeff Shaara

     Jeff Shaara grew up in Tallahassee, Florida and graduated from Florida State University in 1974 with a degree in Criminology.  After his father's classic Civil War novel The Killer Angels was released as the film "Gettysburg" in 1993, he was approached about finding someone to write a prequel and sequel.  With no previous experience as a writer, he decided to tackle the project himself, and in 1996, Ballantine Books published his first novel, Gods and Generals, which leapt onto the New York Times Bestseller List.  In 1998, he published The Last Full Measure, the final volume of the Civil War trilogy.  
      Jeff has continued to write bestselling historical novels, including Gone For Soldiers, about the Mexican-American War; Rise to Rebellion and The Glorious Cause, about the American Revolution; To The Last Man, about World War I, and The Rising Tide, the first of a World War II trilogy.  In 2006, he released his only non-fiction work, Jeff Shaara's Civil War Battlefields, a personal tour of ten pieces of hallowed ground.  Proceeds from this book have funded Civil War battlefield preservation efforts.  After many years spent in New York City and the mountains of Montana, Jeff has returned to Florida, and resides in Sarasota. 

 Tom Brokaw Nov. 19th, 2006
Dedication Day Ceremony Speaker

To watch and listen to Brokaw's address, visit Podium, or
click here to read a copy.

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