About the George Donnell Davidson Roundtable
The George Donnell Davidson Roundtable was established in 1987 at Warren Wilson College through a generous gift by Don and Anne Davidson of Black Mountain, North Carolina, to honor Mr. Davidson's father, George Donnell Davidson, Warren Wilson College class of 1902.
The G.D. Davidson Roundtable was endowed to honor the memory of this remarkable Christian businessman, whose family was among the first group of settlers to establish home sites in the Swannanoa Valley. Warren Wilson College resides on some of the original farmland of the Davidson family. The Roundtable brings to the campus Christian business, civic or religious leaders. These leaders are known as Davidson Roundtable Fellows.
Davidson Fellows are selected because of preeminence in their fields, and reflection in their lives and careers of the concept of "Christian vocation" in business, industry, philanthropy or humanitarian service. The purpose of the Roundtable is to facilitate the sharing of a Fellow's life story including lessons learned from disappointments and failures as well as successes. The usual format includes a formal presentation followed by an informal panel discussion.
The 21st Annual G.D. Davidson Roundtable hosts, George Curry, National Journalist, Editor and Author
George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine and the National Newspapers Publishers Association News Service, delivered the 2008 G.D. Davidson Roundtable Lecture on March 27, 2008 in the Warren Wilson College Chapel. Curry's free public talk, titled "Making a Choice: Thermostat or Thermometer."
A native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., Curry is a former New York bureau chief and Washington correspondent for the Chicago Tribune. His column, "Beyond the Spin," currently appears biweekly on the commentary page of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Curry was also a reporter for Sports Illustrated and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He wrote and served as chief correspondent for the widely praised TV documentary, "Assault on Affirmative Action," which aired as part of the "Frontline" series on PBS.
The first African-American to serve as president of the American Society of Magazine Editors, Curry is on the list of Most Influential Black Journalists of the 20th century, a list compiled by the National Association of Black Journalists. In 2003, the NABJ selected Curry as its "Journalist of the Year."
Curry serves on several boards, and is chairman of the Board of Trustees of Knoxville College, where he also was a student trustee member. He is author of the biography, "Jake Gaither: America's Most Famous Black Coach," and edited the National Urban League's 2006 State of Black America report. Today, in addition to his continuing work as a journalist, he is a highly regarded keynote speaker, moderator and media coach.