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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, February 8, 2008
HISTORIAN AND BEST-SELLING AUTHOR TO SPEAK AT BETHANY
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| James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers and Flyboys, will speak at Bethany College on April 7. |
LINDSBORG, KAN.—Historian and best-selling author James Bradley will speak Monday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Presser Hall on the Bethany College campus as part of the biennial Johnson Lecture Series.
Bradley is well-known for his two books of historical nonfiction about World War II, which illuminate previously untold stories of people from the past. His lecture is free and open to the public; a book signing will follow.
His first book, Flags of Our Fathers, was a New York Times bestseller in 2000 and was released as a motion picture, directed by Clint Eastwood, in 2007. It tells the story behind an iconic image, that of the six American soldiers who raised an American flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. One of the figures in the photograph is Bradley’s father, John Bradley.
“My father helped raise the flag on Iwo Jima. But he never talked about it. My career as an author began with my search for his silent past,” Bradley writes on his Web site.
In 2003, Bradley released Flyboys, the story of eight naval aviators who were executed on Chichi Jima, the island next to Iwo Jima. A ninth – Lieutenant George H.W. Bush, who later became the 41st president of the United States – got away.
Bradley currently is at work on his third book, The Imperial Cruise.
“I’m eagerly anticipating Mr. Bradley’s visit to campus. He’s written two best-selling books about World War II, and both have been translated to the movie screen. When he is here we hope to have the opportunity to ask him about his response to the movies and how they relate to what he has written. I’m also interested to learn more about what he is currently writing about,” said Bruce Kahler, a professor of history at Bethany College.
Bradley serves as president of the James Bradley Peace Foundation, which is dedicated to fostering understanding between America and Asia. The foundation sponsors opportunities for American students to attend high school in Japan and China.
Bradley was raised in Wisconsin. He studied at the University of Notre Dame and Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan before graduating with a degree in East Asian history from the University of Wisconsin. His career includes experience in writing, corporate production and motivational speaking, and his work has taken him to more than 40 countries.
Bradley’s presentation is part of a week of inauguration festivities at Bethany College this spring. On April 12, Edward F. Leonard III will be formally inaugurated as the thirteenth president of Bethany College. From April 7 to April 13, inauguration festivities on campus will celebrate specific aspects of Bethany’s tradition and future. For more information on the presidential inauguration, visit www.bethanylb.edu/inauguration.
The Johnson Lecture Series is made possible by a generous gift from Charlie and Lucy Johnson, Bethany College class of 1944. Previous lecturers include journalist Juan Williams, astronaut James Lovell, Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and humorist Garrison Keillor.
Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The mission of Bethany College is to nurture and challenge individuals in their search for truth and meaning as they lead lives of faith, learning and service.
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