Hillsdale College’s Darryl G. Hart Named President of Mencken Society
Distinguished history professor will give keynote lecture at September 9 Mencken Day event
Hillsdale, Mich. – Hillsdale College announced today that Darryl G. Hart, distinguished associate professor of history at Hillsdale College will be installed as president of the Mencken Society and deliver the 2017 Mencken Memorial Lecture at 2 p.m. on September 9, 2017, at the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Mencken Day 2017 celebration.
“It’s an honor to be chosen to take the helm of the Mencken Society and to speak at this year’s Mencken Day activities,” Hart said. “I’m looking forward to the chance to discuss the fascinating character of H. L. Mencken with others interested in the legacy he’s left behind.”
Titled “When America Was Great and Baltimore Knew Better,” Hart’s lecture is the centerpiece of the library’s event which honors the works and legacy of the “Sage of Baltimore,” Henry Louis Mencken. The speech will explore material from Hart’s recently published book, Damning Words: The Life and Religious Times of H. L. Mencken, which explores how Christianity framed Mencken’s skepticism and concerted criticisms of American culture.
As the speaker for the 2017 Mencken Memorial Lecture, Hart joins the ranks of esteemed previous lecturers including author Christopher Hitchens, long-time editor of The American Scholar Joseph Epstein and Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post book critic Jonathan Yardley.
Mencken Day 2017 will also feature several exhibits on Mencken, open to the public throughout the day. Other activities will be hosted at the Maryland Historical Society. The society’s France Hall will open its doors for the Mencken Society’s annual meeting, featuring an address by Baltimore lawyer George W. Liebmann, followed by Hart’s lecture. Click here for a full schedule of Mencken Day 2017 events.