Wall Street Journal Drama Critic to Speak at World Issues Lectureship

October 24, 2014
Terry Teachout

Terry Teachout courtesy photo.

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WACO, Texas (Oct. 24, 2014) – Renowned Wall Street Journal drama critic Terry Teachout will return to Baylor University’s campus to speak at the 21st Annual Laura Blanche Jackson Lectureship in World Issues at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, in the Paul W. Powell Chapel in Truett Seminary. Teachout will lecture on “The Story of Ambassador Satch: Louis Armstrong, Jazz, and International Relations.” A reception will follow in Truett’s Great Hall.
“Baylor is a place he has come to love for its commitment to the arts and to offering undergraduates a strong liberal arts education,” said Thomas Hibbs, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Culture and dean of the Honors College at Baylor. “He is a marvelous speaker who likes to keep his talks short so as to maximize time for interaction with the audience.”
Nearly as well versed in politics and history as he is in jazz, Teachout will speak on the role of Louis Armstrong as an international ambassador for American ideals. He has written celebrated biographies of Armstrong and Duke Ellington.
Teachout’s first play, “Satchmo at the Waldorf,” premiered in 2011 in Orlando, Florida, later commercially produced off Broadway in 2014. His books include “Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington, Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong,” “All in the Dances: A Brief Life of George Balanchine” and “The Skeptic: A Life of H.L. Mencken.”
Before becoming a full-time writer, Teachout played jazz bass professionally in Kansas City, Missouri. He contributed to “The Oxford Companion to Jazz” and has written track notes for “Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthology.”
Teachout also will lecture on the films of Whit Stillman at the 2014 Baylor Symposium on Faith and Culture at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, at the Bill Daniel Student Center, 1311 S. Fifth Street. Baylor faculty, staff and students may attend all symposium activities, except the meals, for free.
Truett Seminary is located at 1100 S. Third St. in Waco. The lecture and reception are free and open to the public.
For more information about the Laura Blanche Jackson Lectureship in World Issues, contact Hibbs at Thomas_Hibbs@baylor.edu.

by Sarah Czerwinski, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.
ABOUT THE LAURA BLANCHE JACKSON ENDOWED MEMORIAL LECTURESHIP IN WORLD ISSUES
The Laura Blanche Jackson Endowed Memorial Lectureship in World Issues was created by Jackson's family and many friends in memory of her abundant life. The originating chairperson for the lectureship is Dr. Wallace L. Daniel, the former Ralph L. and Bessie Mae Lynn Professor of History. Daniel accepted the position of Provost at Mercer University effective fall 2008. The Jackson family and the committee continue to thank Dr. Daniel for his leadership in establishing this lectureship series.