Canceled – Lee Chapel at W&L Presents Spring Lecture Author and historian Ryan Cole will give a public lecture at W&L on March 23.

By Erica Turman
March 11, 2020

Author and historian Ryan Cole will give a public lecture at Washington and Lee University for the annual Lee Chapel Spring Lecture on March 23 at noon in Lee Chapel.

Cole’s talk, which is free and open to the public, is titled “The Rise and Fall of Light-Horse Harry Lee.” A book signing will immediately follow the event.

Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee III was a member of one of Virginia’s first families, a hero of the American Revolution and a protégé of George Washington, who he eulogized as “first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” He is interred in the Lee family crypt located on the lower level of Lee Chapel.

In his talk, Cole will trace Lee’s life with particular attention to material, including his diary, that is currently housed in Washington and Lee’s Special Collections and Archives.

The lecture is sponsored by the Lee Chapel Endowment.