Scholars to Discuss Leadership and Courage at Event Honoring Vietnam-era Medal of Honor Winner

October 12, 2004

“Leadership Under Extraordinary Circumstances” will be the theme of a panel Friday, Oct. 15, 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Jepson Hall at the University of Richmond.

Scholars A.E. Dick Howard, David Blight and J. Thomas Wren will explore the topic through historical analysis and their own assessments and insights, from the conviction and courage of the founders and framers to the courage and communication skills of a leading abolitionist.

The event will honor Leo K. Thorsness, a 1973 recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for military heroism. Thorsness, an Air Force pilot, was shot down over Vietnam and survived six years in a North Vietnamese prison camp. The occasion is the celebration of the establishment of the Leo K. and Gaylee Thorsness Chair in Ethical Leadership at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies.

“Jepson regularly convenes such discussions among top scholars,” says Dean Kenneth Ruscio. “This is the most fitting way we can say thank you to those who have established the chair in Mr. Thorsness’ honor, by furthering our knowledge of leadership and sharing knowledge with others.”

A limited number of seats will be made available to the public for this special presentation. For tickets, contact Sue Robinson at 287-6627 or by email at Jepson@richmond.edu.

A reception will follow the program.

On stage will be:

A.E. Dick Howard is the White Burkett Miller Professor of Law and Public Affairs at the University of Virginia School of Law. He has been a member of the faculty since 1964 and in 1981 was recognized as the University’s Distinguished Professor. Widely acknowledged as an expert in constitutional law, Howard has forged an impressive career. His many achievements include two fellowships at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.; two years’ service as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo L. Black; and Counselor to the Governor of Virginia from 1982 to 1986. In the discussion, Howard will consider the significance of a constitution in a democratic state. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond in 1954 and a second bachelor’s from Oxford University in 1961. Howard also received a master’s from Oxford, anda bachelor of laws degree from the University of Virginia. He is a member of the Jepson Advisory Council.

David W. Blight is the Class of 1954 Professor of American History at Yale University. His area of expertise is the Civil War, specifically the influence of Frederick Douglass during that time of national crisis. After earning his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Blight taught at a variety of schools, colleges and universities. He is director of the Gilder-Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance and Abolition at Yale University. The author of the highly acclaimed 2001 book “Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory,” Blight is no stranger to the University, having visited the campus in February 2004 to speak at the annual Jepson Leadership Forum. Blight will discuss the impact of Douglass’s courage and conviction on race issues and American identity today.

The final panelist is the University’s own J. Thomas Wren, who teaches history and theories of leadership at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies. He holds a doctorate in history from the College of William and Mary and the juris doctor degree from the University of Virginia. Considered one of the leading scholars in the study of leadership, Wren has shaped the field through his editorship of “The Leader’s Companion,” a collection of the foundational readings. He is also lead editor of the recently published three-volume collection of the most important writings on leadership from the past and the present. Wren has deep knowledge of and insight about the daunting challenges faced by democratic leaders, especially during the period of the American founding. He is a recipient of the University of Richmond’s Distinguished Educator Award. He will offer historic perspectives and insights from the Jepson School’s approach to leadership

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