Mrs. Laura Bush to provide introductory remarks; Academy Award nominee Mary Badham is portraying Mrs. Dubose in the Broadway adaptation of the classic novel coming to the Music Hall at Fair Park presented by Broadway Dallas from May 16-28
Dallas, Texas — On May 8, the Laura Bush Book Club, a special edition of Engage at the Bush Center presented by NexPoint, with support from H-E-B, will host a conversation on the enduring meaning and importance of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The George W. Bush Presidential Center event is a rare opportunity to hear from Academy Award nominee Mary Badham, who portrayed ‘Scout Finch’ in the 1962 film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird, and SMU Elisabeth Martin Armstrong Dean of the Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences Thomas DiPiero, who has studied the complex racial and cultural issues in the classic 1960 novel. Mrs. Laura Bush will provide introductory remarks to reveal the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries grant awardees and announce her 2023 summer reading list.
While the program is sold out, it will be livestreamed at bushcenter.org.
President George W. Bush honored author Harper Lee with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007. At the ceremony he said, “One reason To Kill a Mockingbird succeeded is the wise and kind heart of the author, which comes through on every page. This daughter of Monroeville, Alabama had something to say about honor, and tolerance, and, most of all, love — and it still resonates.”
Badham was nominated for an Oscar at the age of 10 for playing Scout, the daughter of Atticus Finch who was a White lawyer defending a Black man accused of rape, in the 1962 film based on the book. She currently plays Scout’s contrast, a racist neighbor named Mrs. Dubose, in the national touring Broadway production coming to the Music Hall at Fair Park, presented by Broadway Dallas, from May 16-28.
DiPiero is a recognized expert on To Kill a Mockingbird, and is the author and co-editor of several books on topics ranging from race and gender to French literature. At SMU, DiPiero heads the largest of SMU’s seven colleges and schools. About half of SMU’s undergraduates pursue their majors in Dedman College.
Anne Wicks, the Ann Kimball Johnson Director of Education and Opportunity at the Bush Institute, will moderate the conversation around themes of the book, the application of its lessons today, and the show’s tour.
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What: Laura Bush Book Club to discuss To Kill a Mockingbird with ‘Scout Finch’ from the film and Thomas DiPiero, Elisabeth Martin Armstrong Dean of the Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences at SMU
When: Monday, May 8
6:30 p.m. CT
Where: The George W. Bush Presidential Center
2943 SMU Boulevard
Dallas, Texas 75205
Media RSVP: http://www.bushcenter.org/credentials
Media should credential to attend no later than Monday, May 8, at 10 a.m. CT.
While the event is sold out, those interested in watching can tune into the livestream here.
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George W. Bush Presidential Center
Located on the SMU campus in Dallas, Texas, the George W. Bush Presidential Center is a nonpartisan institution advancing the timeless values of freedom, opportunity, accountability, and compassion. The Bush Center comprises the George W. Bush Presidential Museum and the George W. Bush Institute, a solution-oriented policy organization focused on ensuring opportunity for all, strengthening democracy, and advancing free societies through policy solutions and public engagement. The Bush Center also houses the George W. Bush Presidential Library, operated by the National Archives and Records Administration, which provides access to official documents and artifacts from the George W. Bush Administration. Learn more about the Bush Center at bushcenter.org.
Engage at the Bush Center, Presented by NexPoint
The Engage at the Bush Center series, presented by NexPoint, brings newsmakers, thought leaders, and popular figures to the George W. Bush Presidential Center. Thought-provoking, entertaining discussions and experiences allow our guests access to events that only a presidential center can provide.
