Monday, November 29, 2004

Writer: Julie Camp, 706/542-5172, lawcomm@uga.edu
Contact: Ed Larson, 706/542-2660, edlarson@uga.edu

UGA HISTORY PROFESSOR AND PULITZER PRIZE WINNER ED LARSON TO RECEIVE HONORARY DEGREE

Athens, Ga. – Edward J. Larson, Russell Professor of American History at the University of Georgia, will be presented with an honorary doctorate in humane letters at Ohio State University’s Dec. 12 commencement ceremony.

This degree, one of Ohio State’s highest honors, will recognize Larson for his lifetime accomplishments as a historian and his efforts to promote the understanding of historical and contemporary issues in bioscience, medicine, politics and law.

Larson, who is also on the Law School faculty at UGA, was the 1998 recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in History for his book Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion. An internationally renowned authority, he has authored five books, co-authored or co-edited six other books, published more than 60 articles and frequently lectures and speaks on history, law and bioscience for academic, professional and public audiences. He has been invited to give endowed or funded lectures at 40 colleges and universities, including the California Institute of Technology, Harvard University and Vanderbilt University.

Recently Larson published Evolution: The Remarkable History of Scientific Theory and a property law casebook (co-authored with UGA law professor James C. Smith). Larson is currently editing a volume of Clarence Darrow’s writings for the Modern Library and just finished editing a version of deliberations of the Constitutional Convention, scheduled for publication next year.

Presently he is lecturing in history and law in Mali, Africa, in sessions organized by the German government.

Larson earned his law degree from Harvard University and his doctorate degree in the history of science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.