Resource person: Audra Bullard - office@clehighlands.com

Description:

Join us at a beautiful home overlooking Brushy Face for a cocktail reception, book signing and discussion of John Pruitt’s novel of historical fiction, Tell It True. Drawing on his experience as a reporter covering the murder of an African American serviceman by Klansmen on a rural road in Georgia in 1964, Pruitt weaves his story around journalists who cover the murder, the lawmen who must solve it, the civil rights leaders who capitalize upon it, the politicians who exploit it, and the Atlanta magnate who fears its impact on the New South image he desperately wants to protect. TV news cameraman Gil Matthews and AP reporter Mindy Williams team up to follow the twists and turns of the investigation as rural, state and federal lawmen clash, a civil rights leader fends off a black power challenger, and voters take sides in a governor’s race pitting virulent racist Roscoe Pike against moderate underdog Harrison Parker. The book focuses on the challenges faced by journalists as they covered a societal revolution and brought the dramatic and sometimes violent scenes to television screens around the world night after night. Taking us to a time when the future of the South hung in the balance, readers will no doubt recognize that many of those same troubles are still with us today. “There were many momentous stories I covered during my career,” says Pruitt, “but none equaled the magnitude of the struggles for racial equality in the South.”

Location: Private Residence. Address and further details will be emailed to registered attendees closer to the date

Presenter: John Pruitt covered the news of Atlanta and Georgia as television anchor and reporter for almost half a century. His major stories include the civil rights movement, the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jimmy Carter’s gubernatorial and presidential campaigns, the inaugurations of Presidents Carter and Clinton, eleven Democratic and Republican conventions, the 1983 bombing of a Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, and the aftermath of the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center. His reporting career included more than 15 years at WXIA-TV and 27 years at WSB in Atlanta, during most of which he anchored newscasts and reported the news. Since retirement in 2010, John has continued to make periodic appearances on WSB to comment on politics and other important stories. He was inducted into the Georgia Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame. He has won many awards, among them 10 Emmys, the Silver Circle Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the Pioneer Broadcaster Award from UGA. Pruitt’s novel, Tell It True, is based on his experiences covering the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Pruitt received a history degree from Davidson College.

Notes: Cancellation Policy Please let us know immediately if you are unable to attend a class. There is no refund for cancellations within two (2) weeks prior to a scheduled class. Programs that include food, beverage or art materials must be canceled within three (3) weeks prior to receive a refund. CLE reserves the right to cancel a program if the minimum enrollment has not been met or for circumstances beyond our control, and participants will be notified, a complete refund will be issued. All classes are held in the CLE Lecture Hall at the Peggy Crosby Center unless otherwise noted. In the event information has changed from the published brochure, it will be posted on our website and in our e-blasts. Addresses for “private home” venues will be provided to registrants within 2 days of the program date.

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