Historian and writer David McCullough spoke as a distinguished visiting artist on Tuesday, April 19 in the Endeavor Room.
McCullough is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, as well as the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.
McCullough’s most recent book, “The Wright Brothers,” was the subject of his lecture to Wright State faculty, staff and students. However, McCullough spoke more about the resiliency of the American spirit and the power of a good education than he did actual history about Wilbur and Orville Wright.
“When you read their letters which they wrote in great quantity,” McCullough said, “you’re struck right away by how correct the English is grammatically, but also by how effectively they wrote. I hope that I can take an example of the Wright Brothers if you’re embarking on an education, as we all are all our lives. To read.”
Neither Orville nor Wilbur Wright obtained a college degree, but they spent their time surrounded by good literature. McCullough emphasized the importance of the humanities, such as English, philosophy, history and writing as contributors to the amazing power of human creativity.
“We must not neglect the humanities,” McCullough said. “The decline in people majoring in English and history and philosophy and theatre, I think, is a serious problem that needs to be corrected. One of the joys of my work on the Wright Brothers is to realize that these two men, who cracked one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult, technical problems of all time, had only an education in the humanities.”
As a firm believer in required courses, or general education classes, McCullough looked to the Wright Brothers as an example of how meaningful a humanities education can be. Such passion from a man with such vast experience under his belt was especially moving to a room of scholars and aspiring historians.
In the end, McCullough focused once more on the resilience of the Wright Brother’s spirit, and the culture of innovation that surrounded them in Dayton.
"I think the Wright Brothers are a lesson in history if ever there was one,” McCullough said. “It isn’t just that they invented the airplane, but how they went about their pursuit of purpose, and the dedication they brought to their work, and the fact that they did not let failure or defeat bring them down. They could get knocked down, but they always got back up again. That is admirable in the extreme.”
