[ applause ] good evening. Welcome to tonights great lives presentation. I would like first to thank the Program Sponsor for their generous support not this year but for several years now. Its this kind of Corporate Support along with that from so many of you as individuals that enables the great lives series to thrive. I would like to ask our good friends to please stand so we can acknowledge them. Where are you . I know you are there. [ applause ] also, special group with us tonight that i would like to acknowledge. Thats the simpson circle. That is a group composed of former Mary Washington members. They are here tonight. We would like to have them stand so we can acknowledge them. I see you out there. [ applause ] in introducing tonights speaker, dr. Joanne freeman, would you like to mention at the outset that one of her most commendable qualifications is that she received her ph. D from the university. Thats right. Uva, right. In any case, not long after receiving that degree she
The story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918 and the search for the virus there been one of the longest titles at hand, why did you write this . Guest it seemed something they would get sick and get better again. Iive never been interested at all. I wrote an article for the times about a miraculous discovery. Theres a guy at Walter Reed Medical Center and he does Science Magazine and somehow managed to get some lung tissues from a soldier that died in 1918 and the next issue there were still fragments and when i interviewed him about his work, he told me about the pandemic of 1918 and i was stunned. Id nevei had never heard of ang like this. It was the worst thing in history. If told so many people that if Something Like that came today if that killed more people than the top ten killers wrapped together, 1. 5 million mortality rate. And i found out by looking at papers by the centers for Disease Control 99 of the people that i and the epidemic were under 65 so it was a devastatin
Tonight that i would like to acknowledge and that the the simpson circle and that is a group composed of former Mary Washington b. O. V. Members and theyre here tonight and wed like to have them stand so we could acknowledge them. [ applause ] in introducing tonights speaker, dr. Joann freeman, would you like to mention at the outset that one of her most commendable qualifications is that she received her ph. D from the university. Thats right. Uva, right. In any case, not long after receiving that degree she was recognized already as one of the nations top young historians. She subsequently has achieved widespread recognition as a scholar of the revolutionary American History. Shes the author of numerous articles in those subjects which include the journal including the william and mary journal and the yale law journal among others. Shes written oped pieces for the New York Times and has appeared in numerous documentaries on pbs and the History Channel and on radio programs for npr an
Starts here. That tradition that military tradition, and its usually important. So one thing i do, when i do military history, as i theres a modern phrase, im not a fan of the phrase, because it gets misconstrued. It is too impersonal, it makes you forget that there are real men real women, who are wearing these boots, who are off doing things, to be able to keep us safe. Right. We need to remember that. So every time we fight about it, we have the boots, here to remind us of those people. And like i said its been a long time, 250 years since we fought this war with these guys, with george with a continental army. We need to honor their sacrifice. We need a new tier. You all voted for independence, and so we cant yell god save us anymore. But in 1775 will yield hustle. The 18th century way. We yelled hip hazza. Company dismissed. Hello everybody good evening, welcome to tonights presentation. Also special bus tonight, they would like to acknowledge that this is simpson circle, that is
Lives presentation. I would like first to find the program sponsor, the law firm, for their generous support, not this year but for several years now. It is this kind of Corporate Support along with matt from so many of you as individuals that enables the great lives series to thrive. So i would like to ask our good friends from the law firm stand so we can acknowledge them. [applause] also, a special group tonight that i would like to knowledge, that is the simpson circle, a group composed of former Mary Washington members. They are here tonight and we would like to have them stand so we can acknowledge them. In introducing tonight speaker, dr. Joanne freeman, i would like to mention at the outset that one of her most commendable qualifications is that she received her phd from the university. Thats right, uva. [laughter] in any case, not long after receiving that degree, she was recognized already as one of the nations top young historians. She has subsequently has achieved widesprea