Pulitzer Prize winner Leonard Pitts Jr. headlines Harry T. Wilks Lecture

October 10, 2005

Pulitzer Prize winner Leonard Pitts Jr., syndicated columnist for The Miami Herald since 1991 will speak during the Harry T. Wilks Lecture Series Thursday, Nov. 10, at 7:30pm in Parrish Auditorium on the campus of Miami University Hamilton.

While the lecture is free and open to the public, ticket reservations are required as seating is limited. Please contact 513-785-3020 to reserve your tickets.

Pitts, who won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2004, appears in the editorial section of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Hamilton JournalNews and numerous other newspapers each week with his column, which ranges in topics from family life to racial issues. The Miami Herald describes his writing style as “captivating, insightful and often highly personal.” He captured worldwide attention with his columns about the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In addition to writing his column Pitts is currently a visiting faculty member at Ohio University in the E.W. Scripps Department of Journalism.

The Harry T. Wilks Lecture Series is sponsored by Harry T. Wilks, Hamilton lawyer and businessman, who has been a long-time supporter and advocate of education. His generosity has resulted in the Harry T. Wilks Conference Center, The Harry T. Wilks Scholarship Program, and the Harry T. Wilks Lecture Series here at Miami Hamilton.

The Harry T. Wilks Lecture Series brings to the campus of Miami University Hamilton national and international speakers who shape the policies and ideas of the human endeavor. This is the seventh lecture.

James Neidhard, chair of the lecture committee and director of development for the campus said, “Mr. Pitts was the unanimous choice of our committee. We felt he was one of the most pragmatic journalists in America and a natural choice to continue the Wilks tradition of bringing engaging speakers to the campus.”