Purdue News

April 3, 1998 Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist to speak at Purdue WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Thomas Friedman, foreign affairs columnist at The New York Times and winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for international reporting, will discuss today's state of the Middle East during a lecture at Purdue University. His talk will begin at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 27, in the South Ballroom of the Purdue Memorial Union. He also will answer questions from the audience. The event is co-sponsored by Purdue's Department of History and the Department of Convocations and Lectures. Friedman joined the New York Times in 1981 as a general assignment financial reporter. In 1982, six weeks before the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, he became the Beirut bureau chief. In 1984, Friedman was transferred to Jerusalem to become chief of the Israel bureau. In 1988, he was awarded a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship to write "From Beirut to Jerusalem," which was on the best-seller list for 12 months and won the 1989 National Book Award for nonfiction. In 1989, Friedman became the Times' chief diplomatic correspondent, covering Secretary of State James A. Baker and the end of the Cold War. In 1992, he was appointed chief White House correspondent and covered the first years of President Clinton's administration. Since 1995, Friedman has been the Times' foreign affairs columnist. For his coverage of the Middle East, he won Pulitzer Prizes in 1988 and 1993 for international reporting. Friedman is also the recipient of the New Israel Fund Award for Outstanding Reporting. The lecture is free and open to the public. Seating will be first-come, first served, and no tickets are necessary. For more information, contact the Department of History at (765) 494-4122 or the Department of Convocations at (765) 494-9712. This is the last of four lectures in the 1998 Louis Martin Sears Lecture Series, which this year had the theme of "U.S.-Israeli Relations: Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the U.S. Recognition of the State of Israel." CONTACT: Michael A. Morrison, associate professor of history, (765) 494-4804. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page