Jon Meacham Visits Sewickley Academy


On Wednesday, March 7, 2018, renowned presidential historian and author Jon Meacham addressed a large crowd in Rea Auditorium to talk about the “Art of Leadership: Lessons from the American Presidency.”

Jon’s work as a presidential historian, a contributing writer to The New York Times Book Review, contributing editor at TIME, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author gives him the perfect platform to talk about the times, and that’s exactly what he did. He kicked off the evening by commenting on his time interviewing the current President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, and the precipitous events, circumstances, and climate of our nation which lead to his election. He went on to talk about the unprecedented behavior of the President and his ability to play into reality television and social media in comparison to former presidents including John F. Kennedy (JFK) who, according to Jon, was the first president to use TV as a campaign medium, and the humility of George H. W. Bush, the subject of his latest book, and his inability to leverage the media to his advantage.

As promised, Jon told numerous heartfelt stories and gave humorous impersonations of the presidents he’s had the privilege to meet. He shared his research on Thomas Jefferson’s curiosity and JFK’s capacity to recover from his own mistakes. He also discussed the management of conflicting egos as shown by Ronald Reagan and Franklin D. Roosevelt, and how George H.W. Bush dealt with the end of his presidency. He highlighted some common threads our nation’s exemplary leaders exhibited throughout history: humility, courage, compassion, and candor. The evening concluded with a Q&A session and book signing.

A special thank you to the Dethero family for sharing their connection with Jon, making the talk possible. This event was also supported through the Sewickley Series and the Albert and Bertha Sector Speaker Series Fund.

Back