A renowned and familiar historian is again coming to Salado to speak this spring.  Dr. H.W. Brands will give the Wilmer Memorial Lecture, sponsored by the Institute for the Humanities at Salado. His presentation will be Saturday, April 9, at 4 p.m., at the Salado Civic Center. Dr. Brands is a well known historian and author who has written the recent bestseller, Reagan, The Life.  His lecture entitled “Could Reagan Win in 2016?” is free and open to the public.

Dr. H.W. Brands has spent his career studying, writing and lecturing about America’s leaders. When he comes to Salado he will discuss his most recent book which focuses on former President Ronald Reagan and the impact he has had on our country.

Dr. Brands is an award-winning author and professor of history at The University of Texas at Austin. He is a prolific writer about American history and politics. Of the twenty-five books he has written, several  have been bestsellers, and two, Traitor to His Class, and the First American, have been Pulitzer Prize finalists.

Dr. Brands lectures frequently on politics, historical and current events, and is a popular guest historian and commentator on numerous national and international television and radio programs. He spoke to the Institute several years ago about his book, Traitor to His Class,  which looked at the political career of Franklin Roosevelt. He holds the Jack Blanton, Sr.  Chair of History at the University of Texas at Austin where he teaches history and writing to graduate students and undergraduates.

Dr. Brands was born in Oregon, went to college in California, was a traveling salesman  across the American West before returning to college and earning graduate degrees in mathematics and history including a PhD from UT. He taught at Vanderbilt University and Texas A&M University before joining the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin,

The annual Wilmer Memorial Lecture honors the two Harry Wilmers who were instrumental in founding the Institute for the Humanities. The purpose of the Wilmer Memorial Lecture is  to remember Harry and Hank Wilmer and also to remember other children and family members who have died and to celebrate life, death and spirit of humanity in the community. This is the 19th year for the Wilmer Lecture which began in 1998, following the death of Hank Wilmer.  Originally entitled the Hank Wilmer Memorial Lecture, after the death of Harry Wilmer in 2005, the lectureship was re-titled the Wilmer Lecture to honor both men.

The annual Wilmer Lecture is a free lecture given by renowned speakers. It is a gift to the community by the Wilmer family and others  to help perpetuate their memory and the organization they loved.