As the 2008 presidential race unfolds this fall, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation offers a glimpse into one of the country's most remarkable presidents during the second installment of its popular speaker series, Profiles and Perspectives.

J. Rufus Fears, Ph.D., will bring Abraham Lincoln to life during his presentation entitled "Abraham Lincoln: Leadership in a Time of Crisis." Fears will speak at 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 9, at the Charles B. Goddard Center located at 401 1st Street, S.W., Ardmore, Okla. The presentation is open to the public and offered at no cost, courtesy of the Noble Foundation.

"We live in a critical period in the history of our country," Fears said. "Our own time is as critical for the freedom of our nation as was the American Civil War. At that critical moment, America produced one of the greatest statesmen in history, Abraham Lincoln. My presentation examines the leadership that Lincoln gave our country in that time of crisis and draws lessons for the leadership we need today."

Fears, who earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University, has published numerous books and articles in classical studies and the history of liberty. He looks at how lessons of the past can be applied to modern day. He is the author of a series of widely acclaimed original books on tape, published by The Teaching Company: A History of Freedom, Famous Greeks, Famous Romans and Winston Churchill, among many others. His most recent book, The Wisdom of History, has been called "the Michael Jordan of history."

Professor Fears leads annual study trips to historical sites in the United States and Europe. His recent trips have included "In the Footsteps of Winston Churchill," "In the Footsteps of Peter and Paul," "In the Footsteps of Robert E. Lee" and "In the Footsteps of Our Founding Fathers."

On 25 occasions, Fears has been recognized for outstanding teaching excellence. In 1996, 1999 and 2000, students chose him as the University of Oklahoma Professor of the Year. In 2003, he received the University Continuing Education Association Great Plains Region Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 2005, the University Continuing Education Association recognized him with its National Award for Teaching Excellence.

In that same year, he received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Classical Association of the Middle West and South, and the following year, he received the Medal for Excellence in College and University Teaching from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.

Professor Fears has been featured weekly on national talk radio, and he lectures widely across the country to broad audiences on our American legacy of freedom and how we can preserve it in these challenging and dangerous times.

"The southern Oklahoma community is in for an extraordinary evening," said Mary Kate Wilson, Noble Foundation Granting Program Officer and chair of the Profiles and Perspectives Committee. "Dr. Fears has previously presented as part of Profiles and Perspectives, and each time audiences come away entertained and amazed. He is an internationally distinguished scholar and a master teacher, embodying historical figures to help teach his students and our audiences."

After the holiday break, Profiles and Perspectives picks up again with its spring offerings which feature a look at cowboy ethics (Tuesday, Jan. 20) and Mars (Tuesday, March 3).

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J. Rufus Fears, Ph.D.