“A New Force at Sea” To Be Featured as Part of Readers Meet the Author Series

February 29, 2024
David A. Smith Headshot

Just after Baylor’s Spring Break, on Wednesday, March 13, at Noon, David A. Smith, Ph.D., senior lecturer in History, will discuss his latest book, "A New Force at Sea: George Dewey and the Rise of the American Navy," with Ronald Angelo Johnson, Ph.D., associate professor of History and The Ralph and Bessie Mae Lynn Chair of History, as part of the university’s Readers Meet the Author Series.

“Admiral George Dewey is one of the most significant figures in military history, but one who hardly anyone knows about today,” notes Smith. “He won a lop-sided victory on the far side of the world to open the Spanish-American War, which eventually led the U.S. into imperialism. He established in the public mind the prominence of a modern Navy, becoming the nation’s first huge celebrity of the pop-culture era, and later helped transform the Navy’s process of strategic decision-making. I enjoyed researching and writing the book and am excited to share it as part of the Readers Meet the Author Series.”

The conversation will be held on the first floor of Moody Memorial Library in the Schumacher Flex Commons and is free and open to the public. Audience Q&A, a reception with light refreshments, and a book signing will follow. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. For those who cannot participate in person, the conversation will be live-streamed via Zoom Webinar.

"The Readers Meet the Author Series presents a unique opportunity to showcase the exceptional work of our faculty while also celebrating that which is great about the academe — our ability to share perspectives and ideas with each other for the sake of civil academic discourse, " said Baylor President Linda Livingstone. "These conversations also serve to sharpen our own intellectual sensibilities and make faculty scholarship even more accessible to our peers within the Baylor community."

The Readers Meet the Author Series is presented by the Office of the Provost and the Office of the President and hosted by the Baylor Libraries. For additional information about the in-person event or to register for the webinar, visit provost.web.baylor.edu/rma.