The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is pleased to announce that it will honor presidential historian Michael Beschloss with its prestigious Founder’s Award. The annual dinner and awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 1, 2014, at The Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia.

Beschloss is an award-winning historian, best-selling author, and frequent commentator on both NBC and PBS. He co-authored with Caroline Kennedy the New York Times best seller Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy (2011). He is currently working on a history of American presidents in wartime from James Madison to George W. Bush, which will be published by Crown in 2015. Newsweek has called Beschloss “the nation’s leading Presidential historian.”


The Heritage Award will be presented to Robert J. Rittenhouse and Majid Alsayegh, members of HSP’s Board of Councilors. Rittenhouse, of Cinnaminson, New Jersey, is a partner of Aegis Property Group in Philadelphia and has 30 years experience in real estate development and project management. Alsayegh, of Amityville, Pennsylvania, is a principal of Alta Management, LLC, which provides real estate development services.

The event, supported by lead sponsor Wells Fargo, will take place at The Ritz-Carlton beginning at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception followed by dinner, an awards ceremony, and a live auction. The funds raised at this annual event go directly toward supporting HSP’s mission of inspiring individuals and organizations to create a better future through historical understanding. Rudy Lewis will be the event chair. Tickets and sponsorship details will be made available in the fall.

The Founder’s Award was established in 2000 as part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s 175th anniversary celebration to applaud individuals and organizations that champion history’s uses and enhance its value to the public. Past recipients include Ken Burns, Andrea Mitchell, Vartan Gregorian, Ed Bradley, Jim Lehrer, James Billington, Robert W. Bogle, William T. Coleman Jr., John C. and Chara C. Haas, Cokie Roberts, Susan Eisenhower, and David McCullough. Last year the Founder’s Award was presented to Jon Meacham.