2016 Watchorn Lincoln Dinner to Feature Historian Ed Ayers

Edward L. Ayers, nationally-known historian and president emeritus of University of Richmond in Virginia, will present the keynote address “The Mystery of the American Civil War” at the Watchorn Lincoln Dinner on Friday, Feb. 12, at University of Redlands’s Orton Center. The Watchorn Lincoln Dinner was first held in 1932, and has become one of the most significant events to honor the life of America’s 16th President Abraham Lincoln. The annual dinner includes live music, updates about the Lincoln Shrine museum, and the keynote address. Dr. Ayers is a prolific author and editor. His book “The Promise of the New South: Life After Reconstruction” was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History in 1992. “In The Presence of Mine Enemies: The Civil War in the Heart of America 1859-1863” won Columbia University’s Bancroft Prize for Distinguished Book in American History as well as the Albert J. Beveridge Award, presented by the American Historical Association for the best English-language book on the history of the United States, Canada or Latin America. In addition to his scholarship and leadership in the university world, Dr. Ayers is the 19th century “history guy” on the syndicated radio program “Backstory, with the American History Guys.” The program can be heard on public radio stations across the country, and as a podcast from the show’s website www.backstoryradio.org. The University of Redlands will host Dr. Ayers as a University Distinguished Fellow during February. “We are very fortunate to strengthen our partnership with the University by coordinating Dr. Ayers’s fellowship during our ‘Lincoln Season,’” remarked Shrine Curator Nathan Gonzales. Attendance at the dinner is $45 for members of the Lincoln Memorial Association and $55 for the general public. For reservations, please call (909) 798-7632 or email heritage@akspl.org.