| Professors of Government Richard Morgan and Jean Yarbrough thought nothing could top Morgan's invitation to speak before the U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington on April 1, 2008.
Then came the invitation from The White House.
"One day we received an envelope beautifully addressed in calligraphy from The White House," remarked Yarbrough, adding, "I almost threw it away. I figured it was some kind of fundraising letter."
Inside, the nationally renowned Jeffersonian scholar discovered she and Morgan had been invited to attend a select White House lecture and reception on April 14th, commemorating the 265th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's birth. The event drew roughly 200 scholars, dignitaries, and politicians to the East Room, after which they were received by President and Mrs. Bush.
"They couldn't have been more gracious," said Yarbrough, adding, "It would be hard to imagine a better April. To meet with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the President of the United States in one month was really a thrill."
Yarbrough, Gary M. Pendy, Sr. Professor of Social Sciences, is author of several books on Thomas Jefferson, most recently, The Essential Jefferson (Hackett Press, 2006).
Morgan, Bowdoin's William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Constitutional and International Law and Government, is a leading expert on constitutional law and the First Amendment. |
