Thomas Jefferson: An Architectural Revolutionary” at May 9th HHA Meeting

James C. Newman, a Hudson resident who teaches history at Hawken School, will be the featured speaker at the Hudson Heritage Association meeting on Thursday, May 9, 2013 at the Barlow Community Center at 7:30PM. His topic will be “Thomas Jefferson: an Architectural Revolutionary”. The meeting is open to the public.

Newman, who graduated from Western Reserve Academy in 1989, holds a B.A. from Gettysburg College and a master’s degree from Dartmouth. He taught history and English at the Rectory School in Connecticut, and after earning his degree at Dartmouth, he taught history at the King & Low-Heywood Thomas School also in Connecticut, then was on the faculty at Western Reserve Academy from 1999 until joining the Hawken faculty in 2004. Newman teaches in the History/ Humanities department and is Class Dean for the class of 2014. He has received a number of special grants and fellowships for additional studies in this country and in Europe.

This past summer Mr. Newman was awarded a fellowship to study Jefferson and his contribution to American architecture at Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson in Charlottesville, Virginia. There he studied Jefferson’s architectural acumen and his impact upon the aesthetic consciousness of the American nation. Newman states that Monticello served as an “essay in architecture” to public buildings that reinforced the ideals of the American republic. Newman’s presentation will explore Jefferson’s ideas and will use images of Monticello and other buildings to illustrate his thesis.

Jim Newman and his wife, Susan, are Hudson residents. In his spare time Newman enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and cross country skiing. He was recently named coach of the girls lacrosse program at Hawken.