By James Irwin
The George Washington community is hosting several events this week in celebration of the university namesake’s 282nd birthday.
A public lecture and a wreath-laying ceremony will be held Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Alumni gatherings in more than 50 cities worldwide began Monday and continue through March 1.
GW hosted a bonfire Feb. 7, celebrating Homecoming Weekend, Washington’s birthday and the anniversary of the signing of the University Charter in 1821. The events emphasize the strong connection between today’s GW culture and Washington’s vision for a national university of vibrant citizens.
"During his presidency, Washington thought and wrote extensively about establishing a national university in the new federal district,” Assistant Professor of History Denver Brunsman said. “When I look at GW today, I think of that educational legacy. This university is a fulfillment of his vision.”
The third annual George Washington Lecture, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Labor History Research Center in Gelman Library, will feature remarks from Edward G. Lengel, director of the Papers of George Washington at the University of Virginia. Dr. Lengel’s lecture, “Setting the Example: George Washington’s Military Leadership,” will draw lessons from Washington’s career as a soldier, officer and commander-in-chief.
“A key part of Washington’s leadership was a vision of letting his soldiers and the country really know what the ultimate goal was in the founding of the United States,” Dr. Brunsman said. “He wanted them to understand this was going to be a republic, different than the nations that existed in Europe, and in essence the opposite of a monarchy.”
Saturday’s event, Mount Vernon to Mount Vernon, is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon at the Mount Vernon Estate and includes a ceremony at his tomb and a tour of the mansion. GW will provide free admission and shuttles from the Mount Vernon and Foggy Bottom campuses.
“I have heard the wreath laying is a beautiful ceremony,” said Elliott School of International Affairs senior and Student Association President Julia Susuni, one of four scheduled speakers at the Mount Vernon Estate event. “Being a student in our nation's capital allows for the ability to use the city as our classroom to better understand the rationale and sacrifice of our historical leaders.”
Dr. Brunsman, who delivered remarks at last year’s wreath laying, teaches “George Washington and His World,” a course that explores Washington’s life through a partnership with the Mount Vernon Estate, which includes the new Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington. Dr. Brunsman most recently has been focusing on Washington’s intellectual pursuits.
“Washington maintained correspondence across the Atlantic with a number of people on burning issues of his time,” Dr. Brunsman said. “I don’t think it’s any accident that at the end of his life this idea of the national university really consumed him. He envisioned students out in the city. He actually wrote about them viewing debates in Congress as part of their education. It was something very important to him.”
Both the wreath laying and lecture are open to the GW community. Registration is required.
The GW Alumni Association kicked off a worldwide celebration of Washington’s birthday on Monday with the first of more than 50 alumni events. Birthday bashes as close as Molly Malone’s in Southeast D.C. and as far away as Jakarta, Indonesia, are scheduled to take place over the next two weeks.
“One of the great things about George Washington was his focus on exploration and inquiry, and that’s been part of the essence of what the university is about,” said GW Alumni Association President Steve Frenkil, B.A. ’74. “The idea of Colonials helping Colonials — of GW community members supporting each other — creates a larger network of people who come together to share ideas and celebrate the university.”