GUESTS

Literature Award Recipient
James M. McPherson
James M. McPherson has written fifteen books of exceptional scholarship, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Battle Cry for Freedom: The Civil War Era". As the George Henry Davis Professor of American History at Princeton University, he has mentored an entire generation of Civil War scholars.




Founder's Award
John Callaway
John Callaway has left a mark on Chicago as an author, actor, editor, and one of the most acclaimed interviewers in broadcast journalism. He was the long-time host of "Chicago Tonight" and other programs on WTTW, and he can be currently seen on "Front & Center" at the Pritzker Military Library.



Frank Sesno
Frank Sesno is an Emmy award-winning journalist, special correspondent, and former Washington bureau chief for CNN. His work has also appeared on PBS and National Public Radio. He is a Professor of Public Policy and Communication at George Mason University.





The Callaway Sisters

Ann Hampton Callaway
Ann Hampton Callaway is one of the finest singer/songwriters of our time. The statuesque performer dazzles music lovers as a singer, pianist, composer, lyricist, arranger, actress, and educator. Her talents have made her equally at home in jazz and pop as well as on stage, in the recording studio, on TV and in film. She is best known for starring in the hit Broadway musical "SWING!" and for writing and singing the theme to the internationally successful TV series, "THE NANNY". Ann is a devoted keeper-of-the-flame of the great American songbook. She brings fresh and original interpretations to these timeless classics and works to uphold the canon by writing songs with Cole Porter, Carole King, Barbara Carroll and others. Her spontaneity, intelligence, and soulful charisma have won her a diverse fan-base including notables as Barbra Streisand, Clive Davis, Carly Simon and Wynton Marsalis.


Liz Callaway
Tony nominee and Emmy Award winner Liz Callaway is one of the top singer-actresses appearing on Broadway today. Audiences have seen her on Broadway in Merrily We Roll Along, Baby, Miss Saigon, The Three Musketeers, The Look of Love, and Cats, where she played the role of Grizabella (singing Memory) for five years. She has also starred in numerous off-Broadway shows, as well as the internationally acclaimed Sibling Revelry with her sister, Ann Hampton Callaway. Her numerous film and television credits include the singing voice of Anastasia in the award-winning animated film, Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and the King of Thieves, and Nala in The Lion King II.



Steppenwolf Theatre Company
STEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY is a Chicago-based international performing arts institution committed to ensemble collaboration and artistic risk through its work with its permanent ensemble, guest artists, partner institutions and the community. Steppenwolf has redefined the landscape of acting and performance by spawning a generation of America's most gifted artists. Founded in 1976 as an ensemble of nine actors, Steppenwolf has grown into an internationally renowned company of forty-one theatre artists whose talents include acting, directing, playwriting, filmmaking, and textual adaptation. No other American theater ensemble has survived as long and thrived as much as the Steppenwolf company of artists.