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 The Lincoln Leadership Prize is an annual award that
recognizes outstanding individuals for a lifetime of service in the
spirit of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.
The award honors individuals who manifest great strength of
character, individual conscience and unwavering commitment to the
defining principles of democracy.
Goodwin authored “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham
Lincoln,” which served in-part as the basis of 2015 Lincoln
Leadership Prize recipient Steven Spielberg’s major motion picture
“Lincoln.” She has been an advocate for the Abraham Lincoln
Presidential Library and Museum from its inception more than 10
years ago and serves as a founding Life Member of the Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation Board. Among her many honors
and awards, Goodwin is the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, Lincoln
Prize and the inaugural Book Prize for American History, as well as,
the Charles Frankel Prize, given by the National Endowment for the
Humanities, Sarah Josepha Hale Medal, New England Book Award, Carl
Sandburg Literary Award and Ohioana Book Award.
 “I am honored to accept this award celebrating the leadership legacy
of President Abraham Lincoln," said Goodwin. "For me, no privilege
has been greater than the opportunity to spend 10 years of my life
living with Abraham Lincoln as I researched and wrote ‘Team of
Rivals.’ I came to know, understand and admire Lincoln for his
political genius and leadership along with his humanity, generosity
of spirit, social conscience and sense of humor. Now, more than two
centuries after his birth, we can say with absolute certainty that
the ambition that powered Lincoln from his earliest days – the
desire to establish an admirable reputation on earth so that his
story could be told after he died – has been realized far beyond his
fondest wishes."
Award-winning playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner will present
the Lincoln Leadership Prize to Goodwin the evening of Friday, May
13, during a gala event at the Hilton Chicago. Kushner wrote the
screenplay for Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” which was based in-part on
Goodwin’s book, “Team of Rivals.” Kushner also wrote screenplays for
Mike Nichols’ film of “Angels in America” and Spielberg’s “Munich.”
Additionally, Kushner is known for his plays, “A Bright Room Called
Day;” and “Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes,
Parts One and Two,” and his musical, “Caroline, or Change.”
The annual event serves as the primary fundraiser for the Abraham
Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation for the benefit of the
Museum and Library, which is not a part of the National Archives
Records Administration’s federal system of presidential libraries.
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“It has been my pleasure to learn from Doris Kearns Goodwin as we strive to
preserve Lincoln’s legacy here in the Land of Lincoln,” said Dr. Carla Knorowski,
Chief Executive Officer, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation.
“Presidential libraries are repositories of historic information, artifacts and
documents for our nation’s posterity. It is important that we all take on this
mantle to study, celebrate and bring history to life so people understand and
learn from it. We are grateful for Goodwin’s commitment and passion to telling
Abraham Lincoln’s story, the story of the American presidency and stories about
other leaders in our treasured history. We are so pleased to honor her. She is
most deserving of the Prize. And, we are looking forward to seeing Kushner and
Goodwin together, since they were instrumental in bringing Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’
to life on the big screen.”
Since 2006, the ALPLF has awarded the Prize to nine prestigious individuals who
work tirelessly in the Lincoln tradition. Previous honorees include Civil Rights
Activists The Little Rock Nine, Filmmaker Steven Spielberg, 42nd President of
the United States Bill Clinton, former Polish President Lech Walesa, Journalist
Tim Russert, Astronaut James Lovell, Jr., Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Supreme
Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
For more information about the Lincoln Leadership Prize please visit
www.alplm.org. For tickets and/or table sponsorship information please call
312/553-2000.
About the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation supports the collections and
the educational and cultural programming of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential
Library and Museum; fosters Lincoln scholarship through the acquisition and
publication of documentary materials relating to Lincoln and his era; and
promotes a greater appreciation of history through exhibits, conferences,
publications, online services, and other activities designed to promote
historical literacy.
[Shanta Thoele, Abraham Lincoln
Presidential Library and Museum]
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