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Podcast
Episode Transcription
Extras:
Essay:
Abraham Lincoln and the Text of America,"
by Clay Jenkinson. |
Press PLAY to listen online:
What is the purpose of philosophy? What is the place of
the humanities in day-to-day life? How can asking "why" contribute to
the lives of North Dakotas, Americans, and people around the world?
These questions direct the discussion of Why's very first episode
featuring renowned humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson.
Jenkinson, who is most famous for
portraying Thomas Jefferson in the long-running and always inspiring
public radio show The Thomas Jefferson Hour, is one of the most
sought-after humanities scholars in the United States.
A cultural commentator who has devoted most of his
professional career to public humanities programs, Clay Jenkinson has been
honored by two presidents for his work. On November 6, 1989, he received from
President George Bush one of the first five Charles Frankel Prizes, the National
Endowment for the Humanities' highest award (now called the National Humanities
Medal), at the nomination of the NEH Chair, Lynne Cheney. On April 11, 1994, he
was the first public humanities scholar to present a program at a White
House-sponsored event, when he presented Thomas Jefferson for a gathering hosted
by President and Mrs. Clinton. When award-winning humanities documentary
producer Ken Burns turned his attention to Thomas Jefferson, he asked Clay
Jenkinson to be the major humanities commentator. Since his first work with the
North Dakota Humanities Council in the late 1970s, including a pioneering
first-person interpretation of Meriwether Lewis, Clay Jenkinson has made
thousands of presentations throughout the United States and its territories,
including Guam and the Northern Marianas.
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