We hope you enjoy these top news stories about TFAS activities, alumni and events this week. Please visit us on social media for additional up-to-the-moment TFAS news and information and sign up for our newsletter to receive weekly updates.
TFAS Remembers Vice-Chairman Michael Thompson Sr.
The Fund for American Studies mourns the passing of Michael Thompson Sr., who served as vice-chairman of its Board of Trustees for more than 40 years. Thompson died on Sept. 7, 2019, after battling leukemia since last November.
Reflecting on Thompson’s life, TFAS Chairman Randal Teague said, “Theodore Roosevelt observed, ‘The greatest gift life has to offer is the opportunity to work hard at work worth doing.’ That observation was embodied in Michael’s life. TFAS is one of many beneficiaries, an important aspect of his legacy. While we will miss him and often think of him, we will always be better – a better organization and better persons – because of him.”
TFAS is forever grateful for Mike and his service, generosity and commitment to teaching future generations about the institutions of a free society and honorable leadership. His legacy lives on through the thousands of TFAS alumni whose lives he has changed. May he rest in peace.
Read more about Thompson’s life and legacy at TFAS.org/Thompson.
Fall Students Arrive in America’s Capital City
Thanks to a warm welcome and practical advice from alumni and TFAS leadership, 14 young leaders are settled in and ready to take on an exciting semester in the nation’s capital as participants in our Capital Semester on Leadership and the American Presidency (LTAP), offered in partnership with the Ronald Reagan Institute.
During the welcome ceremony, TFAS alumnus Joel Troutman ’13, a domestic policy coordinator at The White House, served as the keynote speaker and shared an important message of “leadership and hard work,” citing stories of great leaders and examples from along his TFAS Journey.
“I think that you all are making one of the best decisions of your life by being here,” said TFAS alumnus Joel Troutman ’13. “I believe that this semester can and will be a turning point for all of you. I can honestly say I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for my TFAS experience.”
The fall students – hailing from Hungary, China, Australia and the United States – will study politics, economics and leadership during an intensive and immersive semester of classroom learning and special events featuring prominent public leaders, TFAS alumni and distinguished faculty.
To read about their welcome to TFAS and learn more about what’s in store for the semester, please visit TFAS.org/FallWelcome19.
Newest TFAS Public Policy Fellows Influenced by Classic Scholars and Alumni Authors
TFAS welcomed 18 rising stars as the 2019-20 TFAS Public Policy Fellows on Tuesday, Sept. 10. These young leaders will spend the next year engaged in networking and educational events centered around the theme, “The Experiment in Self-Government.”
As part of the competitive application process, candidates were asked to list three books that have impacted their way of thinking. This year’s Fellows overwhelmingly indicated they were influenced by works from classic philosophers, America’s Founding Fathers and TFAS alumni authors. Taking the top spots as some of the most popular responses were “The Conscience of a Conservative” by Barry Goldwater; “Democracy in America” by Alexis de Tocqueville; and “The Law” by Frédéric Bastiat.
“The 2019-20 class of TFAS Public Policy Fellows are well-prepared to engage in substantive conversations on ‘The Experiment in Self-Government’ and contribute to TFAS’s mission of fostering responsible citizenship,” said Public Policy Fellowship Director Brenda Hafera.
Meet the 18 Fellows, learn more about their diverse educational and professional backgrounds and see which books have influenced their ways of thinking at TFAS.org/PPFintro19.
Post of the Week
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Fall TFAS students are getting to know their new city. Bethany Weaver ’19, who is interning on Capitol Hill with Congressman Jodey Arrington of Texas, was lucky to catch this amazing view of Washington, D.C., from the Speaker’s Balcony of the U.S. Capitol.
Quick Links
Abby Smith ’14 joined the Washington Examiner this week. She will cover energy and the environment and co-author the column, “Daily on Energy.”
Jason Willick ’17 reports on a John Locke manuscript recently uncovered in Maryland for The Wall Street Journal.
Stacy Estrada ’19 will be speaking at the Women’s Economic Forum in Mexico City next month.
Nina Tretnmann ’08 reports on Dankse Banks new CFO in The Wall Street Journal. This marks her first front page story since relocating back to the U.S. She previously worked with The Journal’s London bureau.
Oriana Pawlyk ’10 reports in Military Times on the Air Force’s new humanitarian outreach program in Guyana for Military.com.
Curt Mills, Novak ’18, predicted John Bolton’s looming departure as national security advisor just one day before the news broke in an article for The American Conservative. Mills later weighed in on who will replace him in yesterday’s National Interest.
Will Weatherford ’02, former Florida House Speaker and managing partner of Weatherford Capital, is a co-chair for the Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee.
Madeleine Sheifer ’19 shares about her TFAS experience in Washington, D.C. this summer in Lehigh University’s The Brown and White.
Chris Hull ’91 writes on the quest for American unity for Real Clear Policy as part of their series on “the American Project,” an initiative of the Pepperdine School of Public Policy. The project looks to the country’s founding principles to respond to our current cultural and political upheaval.
Paul Glader ’99, ’00 is a recipient of a “Distinguished 4 Year Newspaper Adviser” award from the College Media Association.
ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir ’93 reports from Iraq while embedded with American troops fighting ISIS enemies.
Thanks to a special partnership with the Hungary Initiatives Foundation, three young Hungarian leaders attended the TFAS D.C. Summer Program as Széll Kálmán Fellows. Read about their action-packed summer on Hungary Initiatives Foundation’s news page.
Katie Barlow ’10 will be speaking at the “Unconventional Political Convention,” Politicon, in Nashville, Tennessee, next month. Barlow is a host of the Words Matter Podcast and co-founder of Circuit Breaker, a website devoted to news and analysis on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Kyle Peterson, Novak ’14, sat down with Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch to discuss his new book, the dangers of the administrative state, and why the Constitution’s meaning never changes for The Wall Street Journal.
Elliot Kaufman, Rago ’18, reviews “We Stand Divided” and explores American-Israeli Jewish relations for The Wall Street Journal. Kaufman recently became an assistant editorial features editor at The Journal after completing his Rago Fellowship.
George and Sally Mayer Fellow for Economic Education and TFAS Academic Director Dr. Anne Bradley is speaking at the Principled Entrepreneurship Conference from Oct. 21-22 in New York City. This event is organized by The Napa Institute, led by Josh Holdenreid, PPF ’18.
Ryan Lovelace’s, Novak ’11, new book, “Search and Destroy” was released last week.
Jillian Kay Melchior, Novak ’11, reminisces on childhood imagination and adventure for The Wall Street Journal.