Vermont Business Magazine Nationally renowned scholar and political columnist George F. Will is the featured speaker at the Ethan Allen Institute’s Thirtieth Anniversary Celebration at the Doubletree by Hilton in South Burlington on Wednesday, May 31. The topic of his talk is “Why Conservatism is Important in a Place Like Vermont”.
Information on sponsorships and reservations may be found at www.ethanallen.org. The social hour with cash bar begins at 6:00pm and the dinner at 7:00pm.
George Will, described by the Wall Street Journal as “perhaps the most powerful journalist in America,” is widely regarded as one of the most influential conservative/libertarian journalists and commentators in the nation. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1977 and has been awarded sixteen honorary doctorate degrees.
He continues his half-century long career as a member of the Washington Post Writers Group and his columns are syndicated in more than four hundred newspapers. Over the years he has appeared many times on ABC’s This Week, NBC’s Meet the Press (52 appearances), Fox News, and many other national platforms.
Institute President Myers Mermel said that “We invited George Will because of his eloquent advocacy for the fundamentals of a free society: individual liberty, private property, competitive free enterprise, limited and frugal government, strong local communities, personal responsibility, and expanded opportunity for human endeavor, which are the principles of the Ethan Allen Institute. We’re thrilled to be able to bring such a distinguished national opinion leader to Vermont for our 30th Anniversary observance, on a topic that Vermonters will find intriguing.”
John McClaughry, co-founder of the Institute, says “I have enjoyed and learned from George Will’s writing for almost fifty years. He is widely recognized as perhaps the most profound conservative/libertarian political philosopher in our country today. His insights on America’s founding, its principles that have sustained us, his immense grasp of our history, and his assessment of our prospects for the future will be valuable, unforgettably delivered, and leavened with his trenchant sense of humor.”
Will’s academic background includes B.A. Trinity College, M.A. Oxford, and Ph.D. Princeton. He has taught political philosophy at Michigan State, University of Toronto and (twice) Harvard. He has authored 16 books, most recently American Happiness and its Discontents.
The Ethan Allen Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization founded in 1993, has long been Vermont’s leading voice for its Mission “to influence public policy in Vermont by helping its people to better understand and put into practice the principles of a free society.”
Earlier EAI anniversary celebrations, all held at today’s Doubletree by Hilton (formerly the Sheraton) Emerald Ballroom, have featured P.J. O’Rourke (10th), John Stossel (15th), Governors Jim Douglas and Tom Salmon (20th), and Mark Steyn (25th).
