“Grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change.
The courage to change direction when I see them coming.
And the wisdom to not try to smack some sense into them when I can’t avoid them.”
~ Unknown
It’s been a week of authors, and this evening, I attended a book release – of sorts – for the third night in a row. It was the annual Earle C. Clements Lecture, and this year’s guest lecturer was former Historian Emeritus of the U.S. Senate Donald A. Ritchie, the man who also wrote the book on Making Oral History, literally. That’s what it’s called: Doing Oral History. You first met Don back in 2015 when he sat down for an interview at the Nunn Center. Over the last few years, I’ve gotten to know Don and his wife, Anne. They are delightful people: smart, articulate, engaged, and engaging. I really enjoy them and respect them greatly. Tonight, Don talked a great deal about the book he co-authored with Terry Birdwhistell called “Iron Butterfly,” about Bess Clements Abell, the daughter of Earle Clements, who had an impressive career in Washington in a variety of positions before women became politically active in public, but Bess and her contemporaries in DC did their part behind the scenes to be sure. Donald is a great speaker and it’s always a delight to hear what he has to say.
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