HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL PR 2015-10-21 Symington book talk
Town of Leesburg
News Release
For Immediate Release Media Contact:
Betsy Arnett, Public Information Officer
barnett@leesburgva.gov 703-771-2734
Former Congressman James Symington to Speak in Leesburg
Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership to Host
Lecture and Book Signing on October 26, 2015, at the Thomas Balch Library
Leesburg, VA (October 21, 2015) – Politician, diplomat,
lawyer, musician and author James W. Symington is a
man dedicated to public service who served our
country when public service was considered a noble
profession. His new book, Heard and Overhead: Words
Wise (and Otherwise) with Politicians, Statesmen, and
Real People, is a medley of vignettes, many about key
moments in modern American history, told from his
vantage points as congressman, diplomat and right -
hand man to one ambassador, one Attorney General
and a President of the United States. He will be
speaking about the book at Leesburg’s Thomas Balch
Library (208 West Market Street) on Monday, October
26, 2015. The program, sponsored by The Journey
Through Hallowed Ground Partnership, will begin at
7:00pm and is free and open to the public.
Heard and Overhead is a treasure for fans of politics
and students of history, filled with insights, intimate glimpses and hilarious observations. In
personal stories from his great-great-grandfather (who served Abraham Lincoln) to his time as
Robert Kennedy’s assistant in the Cuban Missile Crisis, and to President Obama’s recent Cuba
initiative, Symington shares his unique perspective. In observations by both himself and many
distinguished people, he offers readers entrée into the private conversations, events and
decisions that defined public policy and our lives.
Symington was administrative assistant to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and director of
the President’s Committee on Juvenile Delinquency. In 1968, he was named Chief of Protocol
by President Johnson. He served four terms in Congress and later co -founded the law firm
Smathers, Symington & Herlong, which focused on international and corporate issues. He and
his wife Sylvia, parents of two grown children and grandparents of five, live in Washington, D.C.,
and Middleburg, Virginia.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing after the program. For more
information, call 540-882-4929 or visit www.HallowedGround.org.
# # #