On Thursday, Apr. 25, Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music (BSACAM) will host the “President’s Lecture on Music History and Contemporary America” with guest speakers Patrick F. Leahy, Ed.D, President of Monmouth University, and acclaimed historian Douglas Brinkley. This event will take place in the Great Hall Auditorium and is free and open to all members of the community, although registration is required.
Leahy explained, “The lecture showcases the Center’s mission to educate and inspire future generations to understand the diverse influences in American music, and appreciate its power as a force for change, echoing Monmouth University’s commitment to social mobility and diversity” according to the event’s press release.
He also elaborated on his role as the event’s co-sponsor, “I have the honor of helping to identify a suitable speaker for this event. On the evening of the event, I will also have the privilege of welcoming all in attendance and providing an introduction for this year’s speaker, Douglas Brinkley, a notable historian, author, and news commentator.”
Brinkley will be presenting his work, “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology): Long Sixties Protest Music and the Earth Day Revolution.”
“We are delighted that Douglas Brinkley, one of the nation’s leading historians, will be offering the inaugural President’s Lecture on Music History and Contemporary America at Monmouth next week. Brinkley is the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and Professor of History at Rice University in Houston, TX. He is a prolific and accomplished writer, having authored more than 30 books, and serves as a contributing author at Vanity Fair. He may be best known, however, as CNN’s Presidential Historian, and for providing frequent commentary on both MSNBC and the History Channel. He has become increasingly engaged at Monmouth since accepting the invitation to join the BSACAM Board of Directors over a year ago, where he is a very active and productive member,” continued Leahy.
Brinkley’s work reflects on music and the environment, tying the musical event into one regarding our habitat in celebration of Earth Day.
“Given that this first event is, as noted, being held so close to Earth Day, we thought Dr. Brinkley’s work on the environmental movement, perhaps best illustrated in his recent book ‘Silent Spring Revolution,’ was a perfect topic for the first lecture in this new annual series. And not only is Dr. Brinkley a renowned scholar, he just so happens to be on our BSACAM Board of Directors!,” added Mellissa Ziobro, M.A., Adjunct Professor of Public History and Curator of BSACAM.
In the press release, Ziobro continued, “We are delighted that Dr. Brinkley has agreed to deliver this inaugural address and excited about the future of this annual event in which we will explore the many ways music history is relevant in the modern world.”
The event is co-sponsored by Monmouth University’s School of Science, Urban Coast Institute, and the Department of History and Anthropology. For more information or to register, visit springsteenarchives.org.
