Alumni Lecture

“Curiosity, Integrity, & Mojo: A Conversation with Don Dahler ’91, Acclaimed Journalist”

Don Dahler, ‘91, critically acclaimed journalist and best-selling author, will be joining CHESS Dean Chris Boyer in conversation about Souvenirs From an Absurd Life, a memoir of Dahler’s uniquely fascinating journalism career. The book, which Dahler said he wrote to share with his children, describes not only his adventures, but the life events that inspired him to attend College and pursue the career of his dreams. Joining the conversation will be faculty from his home Department of History, the Department of Communication Studies, and the Department of English. A Q&A session and book signing will follow. Read More About Don Dahler.

Scroll down for full event facts and parking information.

Registration Link to Come

“Like his hero, the great CBS News correspondent Charles Kuralt, Don Dahler has been everywhere, seen everything, and brought it home to viewers, and now readers, in vivid, memorable stories. Reading his terrific memoir Souvenirs from an Absurd Life is like pulling up a barstool next to a charming raconteur and staying way past closing time.”

–Chris Whipple, New York Times bestselling author of The Gatekeepers: How the White House
Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency
Cover with Don Dahler's photograph and the book title Souvenirs From an Absurd Life (a memoir)

Don Dahler ‘91 (B.A. History, journalism minor), has been a fixture on national network news for more than three decades, covering the biggest stories of the times for Fox News, CNBC, ABC News, and CBS News. He has received every major award for broadcast journalism, including a Peabody, a duPont-Columbia Award, two Emmys, and two Edward R. Murrow Awards. He is the author of three novels and FEARLESS, the true story of Harriet Quimby, the first American woman to receive a pilot’s license. Dahler was born in Colorado Springs to an Air Force family and now resides in New Jersey with his wife, two children, two dogs, two cats, and a gecko.

“This memoir takes readers from [Don Dahler’s] difficult childhood as a ‘military brat,’
punctuated by confrontations with schoolyard bullies and an abusive father, through his
development as a reporter….his skill at injecting humor into grave situations makes his memoir
worthwhile…A fast-paced, lighthearted reflection on an unpredictable life.”

–Kirkus Reviews

Event Facts

Thursday, April 24
6:30 to 8 p.m.

Rowe Arts Building, Recital Hall
9119 Mary Alexander Rd, Charlotte, NC 28223

Registration link to come.

Open to the public at no charge

Hosted by the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences in collaboration with the Department of History, the Department of Communication Studies, the Department of English, and the College of Arts + Architecture.

Parking and Accessibility

The ADA map for UNC Charlotte with arrows for Atkins Library and specific suggested parking garages.

The closest visitor parking decks are Cone Deck and East Deck 1

Get directions to the Rowe Arts Building from the East Deck.

Read about accessible parking with map.

Please send requests for additional accessibility needs, at least three-business days before, to chess-events@charlotte.edu