Woman Whose Book Inspired 'Lincoln" Movie to Speak at UNI

Press release from the University of Northern Iowa

Doris Kearns Goodwin, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American biographer, historian and political commentator, will speak at the University of Northern Iowa's Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center (GBPAC) at 7:30 p.m.,Wednesday, Oct. 2, as part of the Joy Cole Corning Distinguished Leadership Lecture Series.

A special Q-and-A session for students is scheduled for 4 p.m. in the GBPAC. The 7:30 p.m. event, titled "Team of Rivals: The Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln," is Goodwin's formal lecture.

Goodwin, former assistant to Lyndon B. Johnson during his term in the White House, offers a behind-the-scenes perspective on national politics at the highest levels. She later assisted Johnson in the preparation of his memoirs. Since then, Goodwin has authored biographies of several U.S. presidents. Her most recent book, "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln," inspired Steven Spielberg's film "Lincoln."

As a noted authority, Goodwin appears regularly on network television programs and was an on-air consultant for PBS documentaries on Lyndon B. Johnson, the Kennedy family, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Ken Burns' "The History of Baseball." As the first female reporter to enter the Boston Red Sox locker room, Goodwin was a trailblazer for women covering sports.

The Joy Cole Corning Distinguished Leadership Lecture Series was established in 2001 by UNI alumna and former Iowa Lt. Gov. Joy Cole Corning. The series' purpose is to bring to campus nationally and internationally renowned leaders in such areas as the arts, business, education, government and the judiciary. It provides students with an understanding of what constitutes leadership across disciplines and helps them discover how people become leaders in their fields.

Joy Corning graduated from UNI with a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education in 1954. She taught school in Greenfield and Waterloo before leaving the profession to raise her family in Cedar Falls. She now lives in Des Moines.

She was elected to the Cedar Falls school board in 1973, serving 11 years, nine of them as president. After six years in the Iowa Senate, she was elected lieutenant governor, serving for eight years.

Admission to the formal lecture is free; tickets are required. Tickets will be available at all UNItix locations or call 319-273-7469.