Class of '62 Student Enrichment Fund Event
Campus visit by Doris Kearns Goodwin
October 29, 2021

After more than a year's delay due to the pandemic, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author, historian, and political commentator Doris* Kearns Goodwin came to Culver on Friday, October 29, 2021 for an on-campus event under the sponsorship of our class's Student Enrichment Fund.

Background:
Goodwin graduated magna cum laude from Colby College. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Government from Harvard University, where she taught Government, including a course on the American Presidency. Goodwin's interest in presidential leadership was inspired by her experience as a 24-year-old White House Fellow, working directly for President Johnson in his last year in the White House and later assisting him in preparing his memoirs. She has written seven critically acclaimed and New York Times best-selling books.

The Event:
In light of our sponsorship and her reputation, 7 classmates made the trek to the Academy for the event: Bill Boies, Howard Bridges, Bill Cleavenger, John Davis, Craig Duchossois, Buzz Eisenberg, Mike Hood, Doug Neumann, and Marty Oberman. Considering the quantity of classmates, the gathering was deemed to be a Mini Reunion (and is documented separately).

Doris's time on campus began Friday morning with a breakfast in the rotunda of the Crisp Arts Center (the building we knew as the Eppley Hall of Sciences in the Gignilliat Quadrangle ... next to Beason Hall). In addition to the guest of honor and our classmates, attendees included the Head of Schools (Dr. Doug Bird), Dean of Faculty (Dr. Josh Pretzer), Dean of Girls (Dr. Lynn Rasch), Commandant of Cadets (COL Michael Squires), Director of Huffington Library (Becky Strati), plus some other faculty members. After we noshed on all the vittles, Becky introduced Doris to the assemblage for her to provide an overview of what she planned to talk about to the students. Craig, John, and Marty then proceeded to dominate the question-and-answer period which followed.

After the breakfast, most of us followed Doris over to the auditorium in the Roberts Hall of Science where she spoke at a group of Honors-in-Leadership and Honors-in-Humanities students. It was difficult to decide who was more impressed: The students with Doris or Doris (and us) with the students

Next, we walked over to Eppley Auditorium for front row seats at Doris's presentation to the entire student body. Her theme reflected the attributes of leadership as addressed in her most recent book: Leadership in Turbulent Times. Her stories, anecdotes, and views of the world were immensely informative and educational … and entertaining. In the aftermath of the presentation, the feedback we received was universally positive … with the only issue from one student being that Doris was unable to spend more time with additional small groups of students.

Bottom line: Our Student Enrichment Funds were extraordinarily well spent with the bringing of Doris to campus.


* When asked by a student as to how she preferred to be addressed (e.g., Dr., Ms., Mrs, …), she smiled and said "just Doris".

CLASS OF 1962 STUDENT ENRICHMENT FUND FEEDBACK
Speaker - Doris Kearns Goodwin
October 29, 2021
As compiled by Laura Yeager, Director of Stewardship, Development

Student comments:

"I enjoyed hearing the stories of Teddy Roosevelt's journey to the presidency the most. He started from the bottom and worked his way up. He never gave up. It is an inspiring story and a great lesson."
--Jacob '23

"I thought Mrs. Goodwin's speech today was amazing. She talked about how she has been involved in leadership for most of her life and how important for us as Culver students to take leadership seriously. Leadership is a huge part of the world today, and taking what she talked about today into our real lives will be very beneficial. My favorite part of her speech was how she included a story with every step to leadership. This helped me stay engaged and hear about her life and how these leadership steps are used in everyday lives. I will take away from today's speech that no matter how big an issue or problem is, there is always time to take a moment for yourself and reflect. If you can not lead yourself, you can not lead others, and I think she made that clear today in her speech."
--Megan '24

"Mrs. Doris Kearns Goodwin's presentation was both insightful and inspiring. The characteristics and behaviors of a leader that she presented are ones that we have been taught here at Culver. However, her stories and insights brought those behaviors to life through the exemplary actions of our past presidents. After Mrs. Goodwin spoke, I felt called to action as a leader and responsible citizen to practice motivating myself and others, remain resilient through seemingly difficult times and work to serve the public and the greater good. I was left with hope and excitement for what my generation could do. It was a privilege and honor to be in the presence of an acclaimed historian, author, and speaker. Thank you for this fantastic opportunity."
--Cellestine '22

"First of all, we greatly appreciate her coming to Culver and the class of '62 bringing her here. She provided a considerable amount of intel on what makes a great leader-having been near such wonderful people and learning so much, giving us that information was really special. Mrs. Goodwin gave us great points on how to be a leader, and containing it to 10 points was super helpful. I loved that she was humorous because it made such a serious topic easier to understand and more memorable. We all are very thankful to have her today and hope to live up to her high reputation!"
--Jonathan '24

"From Dr. Goodwin's speech today, I was grateful to realize how lucky we are to be learning the leadership skills that we do at such a young age. Her emphasis on the leadership shown through character is exactly what our institution is striving for. I was also lucky enough to attend the smaller Q & A session where her advice on the writing and research process for her books has given me great takeaways about the passion for a project as I am beginning to embark on my research paper in Honors in Humanities."
--Casey '22

"Today's speaker was inspiring. It was a wonderful experience to look back into the past and hear about the unique stories of some of our past presidents. We were able to learn about their successes and key aspects of their leadership from which we could all take inspiration."
Thank you."
--Estelle '22

"I really enjoyed hearing Mrs. Goodwin speak, and I am grateful to all the alumni who made it possible. I liked that she gave ten points that can make someone a better leader that are relatable, so hopefully, I can strive to be better through them in the future. My favorite part was probably the anecdotes she told about the presidents. As I mentioned before, I will take away the points she made about being a good leader."
--Alexandrine '25

"The speaker demonstrated complex topics and ideas through attention-grabbing and thought-provoking stories. The underlying themes throughout her speech helped us grasp a better understanding of what characteristics and values make a person the best leader they can be. In addition to the stories, Mrs. Goodwin connected her ideas to our leadership systems here at Culver, thus providing everyone in the audience an opportunity to reflect on and cultivate their leadership skills further."
--Sam '22

"Her knowledge about history in regards to the Presidents and their leadership was fascinating. The fact that I learned about this leadership from someone who saw it in action firsthand for many of the Presidents was an amazing experience."
--Sarah '22

"My favorite part of Doris Goodwin's presentation is that she shared stories about the Presidents in a way that made the students want to engage and hear about our history. The presentation affected me positively because it put into perspective all that Culver tries to teach us and showed us that these skills will benefit us in the real world."
--Brianna '22

"My favorite part of the speech was her humor. It made the speech engaging and helped keep my attention. I don't think she had one solid message. It felt like more of a bunch of stories about what she's done rather than advice about leadership. It was an interesting talk, but I struggled to find one obvious message or desired takeaway."
--Sophia '23

"One takeaway/lesson I did have was her advice about making sure you are a leader people want to follow. She talked about how a good leader doesn't have to convince people to follow them; people will follow them because of how well they lead. This emphasized for me that leadership cannot be forced."
--David '23

"I did not feel very affected by the speech. The speaker seems like a very interesting person with many funny stories and insights, but it did not change how I think about anything. It felt like more of a story-time or insight into someone's life rather than an advice talk or something that was supposed to help us."
--Maddy '22

"My favorite part of Mrs. Goodwins's speaking was her perspective on leadership. Her recollection of presidents and their applications of being a good leader was useful in our leadership roles. I believe her message inspired current leaders and upcoming leaders to be the best type of leader they can be while also taking care of their own needs. I took away that growth is the most important part of leadership and that the process is not linear. Her presentation impacted me in a positive way and gave insight on how to be a better leader in my role at Culver."
--Reigan '23

"I went into the presentation unsure of how I would relate to her and how engaged I would be. As she went on, I became locked in because of her incredible ability to speak and tell information as if it was a story. Overall, I was really impressed."
--Haley '22

"My favorite part is when she gave personal stories of her with President Johnson because no one else has those same experiences with him. I thought her message was something that the whole country needs to hear. She is right about the country being polarized, and it's not good. The presentation affected me in a positive way. After her lecture, I talked to her about my dream of working in the government or holding office. I got her email and am sending her some of my essays, so big moves!"
--Aaron '22

"The part of the presentation that affected me the most was when she said that even though she was a little girl with big dreams, she still could achieve them."
--Elizabeth '25