Jointly sponsored by the Civil War Institute and the Department of History, the Robert Fortenbaugh Memorial Lecture is presented annually on November 19, the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, and takes as its central goal speaking to the literate general public without abandoning solid scholarly moorings. In recognition of the America 250th anniversary and the week of special programming surrounding Dedication Day, the 2026 lecture will include collaboration with Sunderman Conservatory of Music to commemorate the legacy of the Gettysburg Address in a multi-sensory way. The 2026 Fortenbaugh Lecturer is Matthew Pinsker, who holds the Brian Pohanka Chair of Civil War History at Dickinson College. Prof. Pinsker's lecture is entitled "Twelve Score and Ten: Lincoln, Gettysburg, and America 250," and will be followed by a performance of Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait" by the Sunderman Conservatory Wind Symphony, narrated by actor Bruce Boxleitner.
The program will begin at 7:00 pm at the Majestic Theater (25 Carlisle Street, Gettysburg); free tickets can be obtained from the Majestic box office at 717-337-8200 so long as the supply lasts. For those who cannot attend in person, the event will be livestreamed through the CWI YouTube channel.
The Fortenbaugh Lecture was sustained during its first two decades by an endowment contributed by Mr. and Mrs. Clyde B. Gerberich of Mt. Joy, Pennsylvania, in honor of Professor Fortenbaugh, who taught history at Gettysburg from 1923 until his death in 1959. The endowment has been substantially supplemented by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Harry D. Holloway Fund, and the Hewlett Foundation. In 1990 the alumni and friends of Gettysburg College made special contributions to commemorate the 79 years of combined service to Gettysburg College by Professors Basil L. Crapster and Charles H. Glatfelter, who retired in 1988 and 1989, respectively. The roll of donors includes Michael Bishop (Gettysburg ’57), winner of the 1989 Nobel Prize in Medicine.
The first Fortenbaugh Lecture was delivered in 1962 by Bruce Catton. He was followed by David Herbert Donald, John Hope Franklin, Willie Lee Rose, Richard N. Current, C. Vann Woodward, Kenneth M. Stampp, Drew Gilpin Faust, Elizabeth Fox Genovese, Eric Foner, Jean H. Baker, Mark E. Neely, Jr., and other luminaries of American historical writing. With the 21st lecture by Jacques Barzun, in 1982, in the 151st year of Gettysburg College, the private printing of the lecture commenced. In 1992 Oxford University Press published, and the Book of the Month Club made an alternate selection of, a collection of revised lectures from recent years: Gabor Boritt, ed., Lincoln, the War President: The Gettysburg Lectures.
The Fortenbaugh Fund continues to welcome contributions from the friends of the Lecture and the College. For more information, please contact the Civil War Institute office at 717-337-6590 or email civilwar@gettysburg.edu.