2009 Video Announcement
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Visit the 2009 Pritzker Military Library Gala Website
Presented to Dr. Gerhard Weinberg at Palmer House Hilton, October 24
The $100,000 2009 Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing, sponsored by the Chicago-based Tawani Foundation, was presented at the Library’s annual Liberty Gala. The award recognizes a living author for a body of work that has profoundly enriched the public understanding of American military history
Recipient Dr. Gerhard Weinberg is the William Rand Kenan, Jr. Professor Emeritus of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he has been a member of the history faculty since 1974. He is the author of many books including A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II (Cambridge University Press).
In accepting the award, Dr. Weinberg thanked all his teachers and students, who “taught me a great deal and challenged me in many ways.” Referring to his 1938 emigration from Nazi Germany, he also thanked his great uncle, uncle and “a wonderful country that allowed my family to come in and take part.”
Award Presenter James N. Pritzker, founder of the Pritzker Military Library and a retired Colonel in the Illinois Army National Guard, said that “Dr. Weinberg is truly a gifted writer of military history who has devoted his skills and talent to produce A World at Arms, perhaps the finest study of World War Two ever attempted by a single scholar.” The host for the evening was Medal of Honor recipient, MSNBC military analyst and author of If Not Now, When? Jack Jacobs.
The Colby Award, which recognizes first works of fiction or non-fiction that have made significant contributions to the public’s understanding of intelligence operations, military history, or international affairs, was presented to authors Marcus Luttrell (Lone Survivor) and Dexter Filkins (The Forever War).
The gala also featured actors from The Steppenwolf Theatre Company giving an original dramatic presentation, adapted from Tanya Biank’s book Army Wives, which is the basis for the hit Lifetime drama
The 2009 Liberty Gala chair was Ms. Cricket Bauer, of Alexandria, Virginia.
The Liberty Gala honored the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, past and present. Representatives from every branch of the Armed Forces were the Library's special guests at this black tie event. They joined over 400 guests for an evening of dinner, celebration and entertainment. The more than $320,000 raised from the Liberty Gala supports the Library's free, weekly programs for live and broadcast audiences.
For more information on the Liberty Gala visit www.pmlgala.org.
