NASHVILLE, Tn. (July 25, 2019) – The Hermitage Gala, hosted by the Andrew Jackson Foundation, will take place on Friday, October 18 at the Omni Nashville Hotel. Acclaimed journalist and historian Rick Atkinson will deliver this year’s keynote address.
The gala is co-chaired by Kim Holbrook and Robin Puryear, who previously worked together on the Antiques and Garden Show of Nashville. “This year’s Hermitage Gala will be a lovely evening of legacy and historical notes while honoring some very special guests,” said Puryear. Holbrook agreed, “We are excited to have a nationally renowned, Pulitzer Prize-winning author highlighting our evening’s line-up.”
Atkinson is a three-time Pulitzer prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author of seven narrative histories spanning five American wars. Other accolades include the George Polk Award for national reporting, the John Hancock award for excellence in business writing and the Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award.
In addition to Atkinson’s keynote address, the presentation of two awards will take place during the course of the evening. The Lewis R. Donelson Award, named after the great-grandson of Andrew Jackson Donelson and longtime supporter of The Hermitage, is awarded to a leader who has supported The Hermitage and its preservation efforts or has brought honor and recognition to President Jackson’s legacy. The Jackson Award is presented to someone whose leadership and courageous convictions enhanced the lives of Tennesseans and brought benefit and honor to the body politic.
“Supporting Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage is about more than just beautiful gardens and a mansion,” said Howard J. Kittell, president and CEO of the Andrew Jackson Foundation. “It’s about preserving a slice of American history so we as a country can continue to learn and be enriched.” Funds raised at the gala support education and public programming surrounding our nation’s seventh president and the Jacksonian Era, as well as Hermitage preservation and restoration projects.
Tickets start at $350 for an individual guest and are now available online at thehermitage.com/gala.
Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage is located at 4580 Rachel’s Lane in Nashville, TN. For more information on Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, email info@thehermitage.com or contact the call center at 615-889-2941.
About Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage
Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage: Home of the People’s President is one of the largest, most well-preserved and most visited presidential homes in the United States. Opened to the public in 1889, The Hermitage is one of American’s first presidential museums. Today, The Hermitage is a 1,120-acre National Historic Landmark with more than 20 historic buildings, including Jackson’s mansion and tomb, restored slave cabins, a church, and gardens. In recent years, new interpretive initiatives and educational programs such as the history of slavery have enhanced the experience of more than 230,000 annual visitors. For more information, visit www.thehermitage.com.
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Media Contact:
Ann Dee Jones
(615) 889-2941 ext. 223
ajones@thehermitage.com