Saving Monticello: The Newsletter
The latest about the book, author
events, and more
Newsletter Editor - Marc Leepson
Volume XIV, Number 11 November
1, 2017
WORLD
HERITAGE: Can you name the only residential structure in the United
States listed as an official UNESCO World Heritage Site? Hint: It’s also the
only presidential home in the U.S. on the list.
No shock to readers of this newsletter that the singular
site is Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Jefferson’s “Essay in Architecture” was named
to UNESCO prestigious list of worldwide sites in 1987, along with another of
his architectural achievements, the University of Virginia’s original grounds,
what Jefferson called his “Academical Village.”
UNESCO—the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization—began the World Heritage site program in 1972. Since
then, scores of landmarks—mostly geographic areas—across the globe have been
added to the list. World Heritage site buildings are chosen, UNESCO says,
because of their “architecture, their homogeneity or their place in the
landscape.” They also must be “of outstanding universal value from the point of
view of history, art or science,” represent “a masterpiece of human creative
genius,” and exhibit “an important interchange of human values.”
All World Heritage sites are
deemed “of outstanding universal value.” They include—to name a few—the Statue
of Liberty, Independence Hall, and Yellowstone, Everglades, Grand Canyon, and
Mesa Verde National Parks in this country; Machu Picchu in Peru; Mount Kenya
National Park; the Historic Center of Florence in Italy; the Taj Mahal; the
Acropolis in Athens, Chartres Cathedral and Mont St. Michel in France; the
Great Wall in China, and the Sydney Opera House; and Monticello. All are deemed
by UNESCO as sites for the “international community” to protect.
Why is UNESCO in the news now? You may have
heard that on October 12 the White House announced that the United States will withdraw
from UNESCO at the end of 2018. The reason: what the present presidential
administration deems its “anti-Israel bias,” along with the fact that UNESCO is
in need of “fundamental reform.” The nation of Israel also announced it was
leaving UNESCO.
Not surprisingly, the news of pending U.S. abandonment of
UNESCO did not go over well at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which owns and
operates Monticello. According to an article in the Charlottesville Daily
Progress, the Foundation was “disappointed” with the announcement.
“This decision will have no impact on Monticello’s
inscription on the World Heritage Site List, nor on our commitment to jointly
host with UNESCO an international symposium on the interpretation of slavery,
in Charlottesville, in 2018,” the foundation said in a statement.
“UNESCO is a global steward of world culture that bridges,
celebrates and protects the rich diversity of human creative genius,” the
foundation also pointed out.
For more, go to http://bit.ly/DProgress
EVENTS: Here’s
a rundown on my November speaking events, including talks on Saving Monticello. For info on my new
book, Ballad of the Green Beret, please
go to http://bit.ly/GBBallad
·
Tuesday, November
14 – Talk on Saving Monticello and book signing for the Colonial Daughters’
Ancient Planters Chapter meeting Fair Oaks, Virginia
·
Thursday,
November 16 - Talk on What So Proudly
We Hailed: Francis Scott Key a Life and book signing at the monthly meeting
of the Stone Bridge DAR Chapter in Ashburn, Virginia
·
Tuesday, November
28 – Talk on Saving Monticello and book signing at the monthly meeting of the
George Mason DAR Chapter, Springfield, Virginia
If you’d like to arrange an event
for Saving Monticello—or for any of
my other books, including Ballad of the
Green Beret—please email me at marc527psc@aol.com
For details on other upcoming
events, go to http://leepsoncalendar.blogspot.com
GIFT IDEAS:
Want a personally autographed, brand-new paperback copy of Saving Monticello? Please e-mail me at Marc527psc@aol.com I also have a few
as-new, unopened hardcover copies.
Or go to marcleepson.com/signedbooks.html to order copies through my local
bookstore, Second Chapter Books in Middleburg, Virginia. We also have copies of
Desperate Engagement, Flag, Lafayette, and What So
Proudly We Hailed, and Ballad of the
Green Beret.
