Good evening, everyone. It is so nice to see you all here in this great greenberg lounge of the new york law school. Im the director of the nyu center for the study of transformative lives, and over the past six years weve sponsored courses and Public Programs on people who have deeply affected our world for the good. Individuals like frederick douglass, margaret fuller, georgia okeefe, Martin Luther king jr. , pope francis and many others always studied in context. Not all american president s are transformative. [laughter] but some have been. As members of Tonights Panel know well. My own interest is focused on lincoln and his times. It is my belief that students who spend an entire semester studying a person like lincoln or douglass or king or elizabeth candidacy stanton cady stanton, will never forget them. The centers chief ally over the years has been the biography seminar at nyu. Founded in the 1970s by eileen ward, the nyu professor and acclaimed author. For decades this group