SMU News
Originally Posted: November 19, 2015
David McCullough, the prolific writer frequently referred to as “America’s greatest historian,” received the Medal of Freedom from SMU’s John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies on Wednesday, Nov. 18.
Historian David McCullough (center) with President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the Medal of Freedom presentation ceremony.
McCullough spoke at a Q&A-style public forum moderated by SMU Tower Scholar Sara Jendrusch in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center Theater. After the event, McCullough received the Medal of Freedom award at a private dinner that included a discussion moderated by former Wyoming Senator Alan K. Simpson.
The Tower Center Medal of Freedom is presented every two years to an individual or individuals who have contributed to the advancement of democratic ideals and to the security, prosperity and welfare of humanity.
McCullough has twice won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book award. He has received the United States’ highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for his “lifelong efforts to document the people, places and events that have shaped America.” READ MORE