THE FOLLOWING IS A DANVILLE AREA COMMUNITY RELEASE
ABOVE: A look at the Van Doren home in Hope, IL, circa 1915—from the Adam Van Doren film titled, “Portrait of a Poet.” On Dec. 7, DACC will be hosting a colloquium to celebrate the opening of a permanent exhibit to honor the lives and works of Vermilion County-born Pulitzer Prize winning brothers Carl and Mark Van Doren.
DANVILLE, IL, Nov. 16, 2023 – Danville Area Community College has established a permanent exhibit to honor the life and works of Carl and Mark Van Doren. Born and raised on a farm in the Vermilion County community of Hope, the Van Doren brothers enjoyed illustrious careers as writers and scholars. Each won a Pulitzer Prize for their literary achievements.
Before installing the exhibit in the DACC Library, the College will hold a colloquium in Jacobs Hall to celebrate the lives and achievements of these homegrown literary giants. The event will take place on Fri., Dec. 7, beginning at 11 a.m. All are welcome.
The hour-long colloquium will include the screening of a 30-minute film titled “Portrait of a Poet—Mark Van Doren.” Mark Van Doren’s grandson Adam Van Doren—a famed watercolorist and Yale University professor—produced the documentary.
Historian Tim Smith and Van Doren family attorney Michael Eberhardt will reflect on the lives of the Van Dorens. They collaborated on a booklet titled, “Reflections on Two Pulitzer Prize Recipients Growing Up in Vermilion County.” The booklet will be available for all guests attending the colloquium. As Mr. Smith says, “That they were brothers who grew up in Vermilion County and both winners of the Pulitzer Prize is extraordinary enough, but perhaps even more compelling is the sheer volume of output these authors produced throughout their careers.”
Carl Van Doren won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for writing Benjamin Franklin, still considered by many scholars to be the definitive biography on this founding father. Then in 1940, Mark Van Doren received the Pulitzer Prize for literature for a work titled Collected Poems—which would be reissued as Collected and New Poems, 1924–1963. The Van Doren family donated several artifacts for display in the DACC exhibit, including autographed first editions of several of the brothers’ works.
The colloquium will also include a musical interlude as a tribute to Mark Van Doren. DACC’s Distinguished Professor of Music Dr. Eric Simonson and the College Singers will perform an original work based on the Mark Van Doren poem titled, “Sleep, Grandmother, Sleep.”
DACC Culinary students will provide light refreshments. No reservations are needed, but capacity in Jacobs Hall is limited to 150 and the colloquium will begin promptly at 11 a.m.
Also note that as a historic building and former Carnegie Library, Jacobs Hall has steep front steps. For people needing assistance, the building has an exterior elevator to the left of the front steps.
For more information about the event, contact College Relations’ Executive Director Lara Conklin at (217) 443-8798.
Also note that Mr. Eberhardt and Mr. Smith donated $5,000 to build an endowed student scholarship in honor of the Van Dorens. At a $10,000 level or above, the scholarship would permanently generate scholarships. For more information about the Van Dorens’ scholarship fund, contact DACC Foundation Executive Director Tonya Hill at (217) 443-8772.
