Erin Cunningham
Reporter
Pulitzer Prize-winning author
David McCullough tied his knowl
edge of our nation’s past to the his
toric events of the Sept. 11 terrorist
attack as he addressed a crowded
Alumni Gym Sept, 19 at the inau
gural Baird Pulitzer Prize Lecture.
“We are being put to the test in a
way we never expected to be, or
should have expected to be,”
McCullough said. He described the
feeling of numbness the country is
experiencing and the reality that
Americans must face and over
come.
McCullough quoted President
George W. Bush in an address to
the National Cathedral, “The com
mitment of our fathers is now the
calling of our time.” After repeat
ing this quote he questioned the
audience, “What does that mean?”
He went on to discuss the immense
struggle America’s founding fathers
endured. They overcame the im
measurable task of defeating the
British and in the process formed a
nation. More recently, the United
States has prevailed through World
War n and the Depression, and each
time America “rose to the occa
sion,” he said.
America should possess a “truly
important sense of unity” right now,
McCullough said. He added that
U.S. citizens have extraordinary
brainpower, and highlighted the
importance of using our heads as
well as keeping them in these “diz
zying times.”
McCullough said this has been
a traumatic event, but we are still
here. He continued further to say
we must draw upon our story of en
durance and the examples of our
founding fathers for strength. “We
have descended from people who
endured greater troubles, he said.
Our country is still here, we are still
here,” McCullough said. “We have
one important source of strength:
our story.”
McCullough took notice of the
many heroes who have risen from
the national tragedy. “We have
never been affected so greatly by
an outside force,” McCullough
said. The heroes are the firemen,
police, medics and nurses, and it is
through their example of valor and
endurance we find strength in
America. The heroes are the brave
people who “fought back” and died
in the Pennsylvania plane crash, he
said.
McCullough was previously
scheduled to speak on his latest
book, John Adams, which has been
at the top of the New York Times
best seller list for 16 weeks. How
ever, he chose to adapt his speech
to reflect on the recent tragedy, the
first time he did so publicly.
He related his research on John
Adams and our founding fathers to
the current tragedy facing the na
tion. “They weren’t gods. That’s a
very important point,” he said.
“They were mortal human beings...
capable of all that we are capable
of.”
McCullough is twice the winner
of the National Book Award and has
twice won the prestigious Francis
Parkman Prize. He received the
Pulitzer Prize, the nation’s most
prestigious award in joumalism and
the liberal arts, for his monumental
book Truman, in 1993 and is ex
pected to take home a Pulitzer for
John Adams.
McCullough has been an editor,
essayist, teacher, lecturer, television
host and author. He has been elected
to the American Academy of Arts
and Sciences and has received 31
honorary degrees. None of his
many books have ever been out of
print, which is a feat few writers are
able to boast.
Concluding the lecture
McCullough imparted one last
rousing statement on the crowd of
2,000. “We all want so much to be
useful. So let’s do that. Let’s rise to
the occasion,” he said. “Let’s re
member who we are. We’re Ameri
cans.”
Elizabeth Sudduth /News Editor
David McCullough addressed a crowd of nearly 2,000 Elon com
munity members during the Baird Pulitzer Prize Lecture.
Computer virus strikes Elon campus
Megan l\irner
Reporter
Amy Cowen/Assistant Photo Editor
Four hundred eighty panels displayed names of AIDS victims in
Koury Gym this past week for the NAMES Project.
Last Tuesday, students clicked
their mice and pounded on their
keyboards, but many could not
open their Internet and e-mail ac
counts. A virus called Nimda has
infected Elon’s network, causing
“chatter” between computers and
slowing down Internet access.
The director of Instructional and
Campus Technologies, Chris
Fulkerson, said that although the
virus still exists, it has now been
eliminated from campus-owned
computers. Virus software in com
puter labs and in teacher and admin
istrative offices was updated in or
der to contain Nimda.
Unlike other viruses, which can
only infect computers through e-
mail attachments, the Nimda virus
can infect computers through an
infected Web site or by using a
shared folder. The virus can also
be spread through e-mails.
Fulkerson said that Nimda is not as
destructive as other viruses. It does
not delete files, but instead causes
confusion throughout the network.
Director of PC Support, Fred
Melchor, said, “How it [Nimda] is
delivered is new.” With viruses
such as Sircan, users can be warned
of certain e-mails that pose a threat.
Now, Melchor said, there is no way
for users to protect themselves.
Sophomore Karen Lungarelli,
had to repair her computer last year
because it was infected by a “Snow
White” virus. She said this most
recent virus did not destroy her
computer. Instead she said, “It was
just a lot harder to get in touch with
people.” Her Instant Messenger
was down, and she could not send
e-mails.
Freshman Matt Eshenour said
the virus made it harder for him to
download music, use Instant Mes
senger and send e-mails. However,
senior Matt Simmons said, “It had
no effect on me.”
Fulkerson said that viruses be
come a problem because “people
don’t protect [their] computers very
well.”
Virus
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