Rogow Distinguished Lecturers
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Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Internet giant Amazon.com, enthusiastically accepts a bust of himself made entirely out of LEGO blocks. The bust was presented to Bezos by Peter Eio, president of LEGO Systems, Inc. and vice chair of the University's board of regents. Bezos kicked off the Rogow Distinguished Visiting Lecturers Program this fall with an entertaining discussion tracing Amazon.com's history, from its humble beginnings to its current status as one of the world's leading Internet retailers. The University presented him with an honorary doctorate of commercial science, which, according to Bezos, was his first honorary degree. |
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Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Tracy Kidder (right), poses with President Walter Harrison and Helen Rogow, whose gift has made the Distinguished Visiting Lecturers Program possible. Kidder, the third lecturer in the series, discussed his beginnings as a writer and talked about his newest book, Home Town, a portrait of Northampton, Mass. As a writer, Kidder is known for immersing himself in the lives of ordinary people. Time magazine named Home Town the best nonfiction book of 1999, and Kidder has won a wide range of literary honors, including the Pulitzer Prize in general nonfiction and the National Book Award. |
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South African writer John Michael Coetzee stands beside University Provost Donna Randall as he is presented with an honorary Doctor of Letters degree. Coetzee, the second lecturer in the 2000 Rogow series, delivered an innovative presentation on the humanities in Africa. He read from a prepared fictional text in which the characters explored the topic. Coetzee has won many of the world's top literary honors for his novels, which are noted for their eloquent protest against political and social conditions in South Africa. He is the first person to win Great Britain's prestigious Booker Prize twice, most recently for his 1999 novel, Disgrace. |
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