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Wednesday, April 11, 6 p.m. at the Oakland Library
Dr. Cummins to Lecture on Abraham Lincoln: Roots of His Moral Integrity
The Ruth Enlow Library will host a lecture titled “Abraham Lincoln: Roots of His Moral Integrity” with Dr. Duane Cummins, Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University. The lecture is scheduled for Wednesday, April 11 from 6 – 7:30 p.m. at the Oakland Library and is free and open to the public. To register for this event, contact Bonnie at 301-334-3996 x0117 or bonnie@relib.net.
“Across the 153 years since Abraham Lincoln's death, an enormous library of literature, exceeding 15,000 titles, has been published about his life,” notes Dr. Cummins. “Writers of these volumes identify many strong attributes in his character – intellectual power, humane judgment, political wisdom, eloquence of expression, profound leadership – among many. Consistently, nearly every list cites Moral Integrity as a key to understanding his extraordinary character. Lincoln's Moral Self-Shaping is the subject of this address.”
Dr. Cummins served as President of Bethany College from 1988 until his retirement in 2002. In addition to the Bethany presidency, he served as Chairman of the Presidents' Athletic Conference, President of the West Virginia Association for Independent Colleges, and Chair of the East Central College Consortia. Since 2002, he has been Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University teaching advanced courses in history and the MLA programs.
A native of Nebraska, Dr. Cummins earned his B.A. degree from Phillips University, his M.A. from the University of Denver, and his Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma. He began his educational career in 1957 in Denver, Colorado where he chaired a senior high school history department of 11 persons. Beginning in 1967, he spent 10 years at Oklahoma City University, and from 1978 – 1988, he served as president of the Division of Higher Education of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Dr. Cummins is the author of 15 books and numerous articles, some of which are included in the local library’s collection.
