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Uncommon Words: Celebration banquet doubles as Foundation’s ‘Academy Awards’
Op-Ed · October 01, 2015


On Friday, Oct. 23, the Hoover Presidential Foundation will host our annual Celebration Banquet, our largest fundraising event of the year.


It’s open to all Foundation members, future members, and corporate sponsors who wish to reserve tables for 10. This year is our biggest event yet.

Our featured speaker will be Doris Kearns Goodwin, renown presidential historian and author of six critically acclaimed and New York Times best-selling books, including her most recent, The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism. Her presentation for the evening is titled, “Presidential Leadership.”

New York magazine called her, “America’s historian-in-chief.” Stephen Speilberg’s DreamWorks Studios has acquired the film rights to The Bully Pulpit, and has worked with Kearns previously on the movie Lincoln. Her personality and ability to connect with the audience, in addition to a fascinating message, sets the stage for an outstanding evening! You can learn more about Ms. Goodwin, her books, network TV appearances, and work with Stephen Spielberg on our website, www.Hoover-PresidentialFoundation.org.

The banquet will be held at the Kirkwood Center in Cedar Rapids. A reception precedes the banquet, followed by a delicious meal in the ballroom. We’ll cover Foundation news and outline the 2016 exhibits. We’ll also honor our 2015 Uncommon Public Service Award recipients, State Senator Wally Horn and State Representative Helen Miller. Our first Uncommon Iowan award will be presented as well. The award will go to former Governor Robert Ray and will be presented by Governor Terry Branstad.

In all, we’ve got quite the line-up, as you can see! And there’s even more going on that weekend for all you Hoover fans! On Thursday the 22nd, visit the Hoover campus for a wreath-laying ceremony at noon in commemoration of 51 years since Hoover’s State funeral. Leslie Hoover-Lauble will provide the keynote address and wreaths representing the Hoover family, the White House and the kingdom of Belgium will be placed.

Saturday, Oct. 24 will focus on 15 Uncommon Students as they present results of their summer long ‘humanitarian’ type projects. We’ll distribute over $30,000 in scholarship money for their efforts. The public is invited to attend in the Figge Auditorium.

I’d like to encourage everyone to come to the Hoover Campus the weekend of the 24th, as it will be the last weekend to visit the Belgium Village on Downey Trace. With winter approaching, we must take down the village and dock the SS Hoover in a warmer climate. For those that haven’t toured the WWI trench or the rest of the Making of the Great Humanitarian exhibit, there’s no better time than now!

I hope you’ll take advantage of these many, interesting Hoover events in October and hope you’ll consider purchasing a ticket for the Celebration Banquet featuring Doris Kearns Goodwin. As support for the Foundation continues to grow, so will opportunities for us to bring in high-caliber speakers and events for you to enjoy as we strive to promote the life, ideas, values and times of West Branch’s native son, Herbert Hoover!



Jerry Fleagle is the executive director of the Hoover Presidential Foundation. You may reach him at 319-643-5327 or JFleagle@hooverpf.org.