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I was saddened to learn of the recent passing of the well-loved historian David McCullough. I was blessed to introduce Mr. McCullough at People's Bank Theater in June, 2019, when he came to Marietta to speak about his final book, "The Pioneers."
We met only briefly before he took the stage, to captivate a packed audience with stories from the settlement of the Northwest Territory.
As a reader of his many books on American History, I was interested to know more about the man, so I watched closely as he was introduced backstage to various local dignitaries.
I was struck by what I saw. While he was the celebrity, Mr. McCullough took time to learn each individual's name, and a bit about their background. He had what the 18th-century statesman Edmund Burke called, the "unbought grace of life."
Whether this benevolence was simply for effect was answered for me the following day, when I happened to meet him Front Street. He greeted me by my first name, remembering every small bit of information he had gleaned the prior evening. Like so many notable men, Mr. McCullough was surrounded by people who shared his virtues. During the short time he was in Marietta, I was introduced to several of his family members, friends and his researcher and fellow historian, Mike Hill. To a person, they were as warm and unpretentious as he was. The entire visit made a significant impression on me. As I think back on David McCullough's 2019 visit to Marietta, I am left to mourn not only the passing of a great historian, but also that of a truly good man.
Kevin Ritter
Marietta