(Feb. 20, 2019) CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—McConnell Center Director Gary Gregg recognized for work on George Washington.
The Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge awarded the "George Washington Medal for Public Communications" to McConnell Center Director Gary Gregg.
The national award, presented Feb. 3 in Chattanooga, Tenn., was given in recognition for Gregg's 2018 Constitution Day speech at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Gregg's speech focused on lessons from Washington's farewell address and other ways the country's first commander-in-chief brought his missions to an end. "It matters just as much how you leave a place as it does how you begin," Gregg said.
Gregg's Constitution Day lecture, available online, was delivered to a capacity crowd.
"I have been thinking about George Washington and promoting his legacy in my writings, speeches and classes since 1998. Being rewarded for one of those efforts with a national medal named after George Washington himself is especially meaningful," Gregg said.
David Harmer, president of the Freedoms Foundation, traveled from Valley Forge to present the award.
"What an honor to be recognized by an organization founded by Dwight D. Eisenhower at the site of one of the most challenging moments of Washington's career. I am humbled and pleased that I have been able to contribute to our memory of America's founding," Gregg said.