'At Dawn We Slept' co-author Goldstein to speak April 3 at WestConn
Renowned authority on World War II to survey historical writing from Pearl Harbor to Sept. 11
DANBURY, CONN. — Dr. Donald M. Goldstein, internationally renowned as a leading expert on the military history of World War II and the Korean War, will survey historical research and writings about world events from the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor to the terrorist attack on America on Sept. 11, 2001, in a lecture on Thursday, April 3, at Western Connecticut State University.
Goldstein, author and co-author of 21 books including the 1982 Pulitzer Prize runner-up “At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor,” will speak at 7 p.m. in Room 125 of the Science Building on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. He will discuss historiography in research and writing about historical events from World War II to Sept. 11, examining the present relevance of historical lessons drawn from past events. The lecture, hosted by the WCSU Graduate Student Union (GSU), will be free and the public is invited. Light refreshments will be served following the talk.
Currently a professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, Goldstein served for 22 years as an officer in the U.S. Air Force before embarking on an academic career that has included previous appointments at the Air Force Academy, the Air War College, the Air Command and Staff College, the University of Tampa and Troy State University. He teaches courses in the Asian, Eastern European and Western European studies curriculums at the University of Pittsburgh, and holds an appointment as associate director of the Matthew Ridgway Center for International Security Studies.
Goldstein collaborated with co-authors Gordon Prange and Katherine Dillon to write “At Dawn We Slept,” a New York Times best-seller for 47 weeks that now is in its 20th printing. Goldstein, Prange and Dillon again teamed up to write the 1983 book “Miracle at Midway,” which also achieved the New Times best-seller list.
Other Goldstein works about World War II examine Japanese military strategy and tactics in the Pacific theater, as well as pivotal events in the European war such as D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge. He also has published historical research on diverse subjects ranging from the life of aviator Amelia Earhart to analyses of the Vietnam, Korean and Spanish-American wars and World War I. He has written more than 50 articles for professional and general-interest publications.
Goldstein received Peabody awards for his consulting work on the ABC documentaries “Pearl Harbor: Two Hours that Changed the World” with David Brinkley, and “D-Day: A Soldier’s Story” with Peter Jennings. He remains a much sought-after speaker at civic organization meetings and historical consultant for TV and radio programs, making an estimated total of more than 200 public and press appearances each year including work as a contributor to “Good Morning America” on ABC, “The Today Show” on NBC, and “Larry King Live” on CNN.
For more information, send an e-mail to GSU president John Read at read005@student.wcsu.edu or call the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.
