Home » News » TFAS Celebrates Founding Fathers At Annual Conference

TFAS Celebrates Founding Fathers At Annual Conference

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More than 40 alumni participated in The Fund for American Studies 46th Anniversary Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. and Charlottesville, Va. this June. The three-day event brought together TFAS alumni,

The conference opened on Thursday, June 20 with a welcome dinner at The Willard in Washington, D.C. TFAS recognized donors, faculty and scholarship recipients, and honored economist Walter Williams with the 2013 David R. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award. The ballroom rose to a standing ovation as TFAS President Roger Ream (ICPES 76) presented Williams with the award.

During his acceptance speech, Williams reflected on the vast benefits of economic liberty and how its success is the reason it is under attack. “Free enterprise has been so successful at eliminating traditional problems of mankind, such as disease, pestilence, hunger and gross poverty, that all other human problems appear to be at once unbearable and inexcusable,” he said.

The welcome dinner also recognized outstanding professor Donald Boudreaux for his commitment to TFAS students. While presenting Professor Boudreaux with the award, President Ream shared these words from a former student: “Professor Boudreaux is so animated, full of life and intelligent. I couldn’t have asked for a better professor to get me through these challenging weeks of class because I had never before been introduced to economics. While it was probably the most difficult class I have ever taken in college to date, it was also the most worthwhile.”

Keynote speaker Daniel Hannan, member of European Parliament, wrote a 4th of July commentary on his participation in the TFAS conference.
Keynote speaker Daniel Hannan, member of European Parliament, wrote a 4th of July commentary on his participation in the TFAS conference.

TFAS alumni Andrew Christianson (IBGA 04, AIPE 05) and Craig Goolsby (IBGA 97) provided testimonial remarks about their TFAS experience during the conference. Andrew advised current TFAS students to take full advantage of the TFAS alumni network for both friendship and professional contacts. Goolsby, who met his wife Angela (King) Goolsby (IBGA 97) during the program, told supporters that he reflects on TFAS as an almost magical time in his life. “The opportunity to learn and appreciate the American experience and our American values more in depth, and to get to share it with such a diverse, bright and talented group of students was really just tremendous,” he said.

Current TFAS students Matthew Phisterand Emily King also addressed conference attendees, providing insights into their TFAS summer and thanking donors for providing scholarship support. “I applied for TFAS with extremely limited funds available and without a scholarship I would most likely not have been able to attend,” said Phister. “Now that I’m here, to say that I’m excited about this summer would be an immense understatement.”

On June 21, participants attended a breakfast at the National Press Club along with students from the Institute on Political Journalism. TFAS Trustee Fred Barnes and TFAS alumnus Steve Hayes (AIPES 94), both of The Weekly Standard, presented this year’s awards.

The 2013 recipients of the Clark Mollenhoff Award for Investigative Reporting were Ben Poston and John Diedrich of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for their investigation of the Milwaukee Police Department. The Economic Journalism Award was given to Bloomberg News Service for their exposé on runaway state payrolls. TFAS also recognized collegiate journalist Miles Unterreiner with the 2013 Robert Novak Collegiate Journalism Award for his four part series on Stanford University’s decision to end student management of campus cafes. To read the award winning pieces, visit www.TFAS.org/IPJAwards.

Following the awards breakfast, 95 conference attendees took a trip to historic Charlottesville, Va., where they received private tours of the University of Virginia and Monticello. Guests also attended a dinner at the picturesque Montalto where they heard from British journalist and European Parliament member Daniel Hannan.

Hannan spoke to conference attendees of his admiration for Jeffersonian principles and what he called a shared inheritance.

“No English speaker can be indifferent to the fortunes of this republic,” said Hannan. “We’re too close to it; bound together.”

Alumni (l.-r.) Betsy Bryant (IBGA 05), Lindsey Parke (IBGA 05), Cecily Hastings (ICPES 05) and Courtney Rohrbach (IPVS 05) enjoy the view from Thomas Jefferson's Montalto during the annual conference. 
Alumni (l.-r.) Betsy Bryant (IBGA 05), Lindsey Parke (IBGA 05), Cecily Hastings (ICPES 05) and Courtney Rohrbach (IPVS 05) enjoy the view from Thomas Jefferson’s Montalto during the annual conference.

Hannan talked about watching his country lose its freedoms bit by bit over the passing decade and warned against the United States following in the same path. He left conference attendees with a challenge that speaks to the mission of The Fund for American Studies and its commitment to teaching future generations about the ideas of freedom and liberty. “You are the inheritors of a sublime tradition. Act worthy of yourselves,” he said. “Honor the vision of your founders. Venerate the shade of Thomas Jefferson and what he stood for. Never be afraid to speak to and for the soul of this nation of which by fortune and God’s grace you are privileged to be a part.”

The conference concluded on June 22 with a tour of Montpelier, the home of President James Madison, and the library where Madison outlined the framework for the Constitution of the United States.

Keynote speaker Daniel Hannan, member of European Parliament, wrote a 4th of July commentary on his participation in the TFAS conference. You can read his piece, “Thomas Jefferson, Anglosphere hero” here.

Alumni Who Attended TFAS 46th Anniversary Annual Conference Events:

Andrew Basham (ICPES 10)

Colleen Boyle (IBGA 12)

Betsy Bryant (IBGA 05)

Rong Chen (AIPE 09)

Andrew Christianson (IBGA 04, AIPE 05)

Kurt Couchman (ICPES 02)

Laure Fabrega (IBGA 07)

Angela Goolsby (IBGA 97)

Craig Goolsby (IBGA 97)

Mark Grabowski (IPJ 97)

Cecily Hastings (ICPES 05)

Steve Hayes (AIPES 94)

Chris Hull (ICPES 91)

Brian Jack (AIPE 09)

Mike Jayne (ICPES 07)

Ken Klatt (ICPES 70)

Gabriella Kostrzewa (IPJ 12)

Theresa Kostrzewa (ICPES 84)

Ed Lancaster (ICPES 80)

Johnathan Lozier (IBGA 08)

Aaron Miles (CSS 09)

Blair Mixon (CSF 08)

Chris Molitoris (ICPES 05)

Lindsey Parke (IBGA 05)

Alanna Ream (AIPES 07)

Kelly Ream (IIPES 09)

Courtney Rohrbach (IPVS 05)

Brent Skorup (LSI 10)

Cornell Teague (IBGA 99, IIPES 01)

Claire Tonneson (IPJ 11)

Adam Vicks (IPJ 05)

Bryan Wood (IBGA 06)

Maggie Wu (AIPE 11)

 

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