Anthony Lewis, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author, educator and powerful advocate for civil liberties, will inspire graduates of DePaul University’s School for New Learning (SNL) at a special roundtable discussion to be held at 2 p.m. June 11 at the DePaul Club, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., 11th floor. Lewis also will receive an honorary degree for his lifetime work at the event. SNL is a college designed for adult students.

“Anthony Lewis embodies the ideals of SNL,” said Susanne Dumbleton, dean of SNL. “For more than 50 years, he has used pen and voice to articulate the essential ideas of democracy. He is the personification of what it means to pursue understanding and education for a lifetime.”

The road to international recognition as a writer and advocate is one that began for Lewis shortly after he received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College in 1948, when he began work as a deskman in the Sunday Department of The New York Times. He next became a reporter for The Washington Daily News, where he published a series of articles on the dismissal of a Navy employee because he allegedly posed a security risk. The articles not only led to the employee’s reinstatement but also captured for Lewis the first of his two Pulitzer Prizes.

Lewis returned to the Times in 1955, joining its Washington Bureau, where he covered the Justice Department, the Supreme Court and legal matters, such as the government’s handling of the momentous civil rights movement. His distinguished reporting of the Supreme Court’s proceedings led to his second Pulitzer Prize in 1963.

He moved to London in 1964 and became the chief of the New York Times’ London Bureau. Five years later, he began writing his famous column, “Abroad at Home,” which first appeared on the opinion page of the paper in 1969 and continued there for 35 years. Distinguished for his intelligence, integrity and courage, Lewis consistently urged readers of this column to remember that the essential commitment of democracy is the reverence of human liberties.

Lewis returned to the United States in 1973 and embarked on an active schedule as writer, speaker and lecturer, sharing his knowledge and experience broadly. For 15 years, he was a lecturer at the Harvard Law School, where he had studied as a Nieman Fellow. He also has been a visiting professor at several other universities, including the University of Illinois, University of California, and the University of Oregon, and he has held the James Madison Visiting Professorship at Columbia University, New York, since 1983.

Lewis is the author of three highly regarded books, “Gideon’s Trumpet” (the study of the landmark case that mandated legal representation for the poor), “Portrait of a Decade” (the story of the historic civil rights movement) and “Make No Law: The Sullivan Case and the First Amendment” (the study of the landmark decision guaranteeing freedom of the press).

“We are honored to have Mr. Lewis speak with the SNL graduating class of 2004,” said Dumbleton. “Most of our graduates juggle work, home and community responsibilities in order to study, and many aspire to careers of service. This is a unique opportunity for them to discuss national and international affairs with a person who has spoken to most of the major social and political events of the past half century.”

The event is free and open to the public. Contact Anjie Hosley at 312/362-6366 or ahosley@depaul.edu for more details.

Note to editors: Reporters wishing to cover this story should contact Valerie Phillips, DePaul Media Relations, at 312/362-5039 or 312/330-3155 (cell).