From left: Karen Baldwin, Barbara Dooley, Dr. Alan Taylor, and GHS President and CEO Dr. W. Todd Groce following Taylor’s induction as the 2026 Vincent J. Dooley Distinguished Teaching Fellow.
Savannah, GA, September 15, 2026 – The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) inducted two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Dr. Alan Taylor as the 2026 Vincent J. Dooley Distinguished Teaching Fellow during An Evening with Alan Taylor on September 10 in Savannah.
Following the induction, Taylor joined Dr. Stan Deaton, the Dr. Elaine B. Andrews Distinguished Historian at GHS, for a conversation exploring his career and life’s work studying colonial America, the American Revolution, and the early American Republic.
“Alan Taylor is one of our country’s most prolific and distinguished historians," said Deaton. "He is one of only five people ever to win the Pulitzer in History twice, and his steady stream of books over the last three decades have been recognized for their deep research, clear prose, and penetrating analysis. He is a fixture on Ken Burns’s documentaries as well. The Georgia Historical Society has been so fortunate over the years to have forged a relationship with Alan through teacher-training workshops and public programs, and we’re delighted to formalize that with his induction as the 2026 GHS Vincent J. Dooley Distinguished Teaching Fellow.”
Taylor is the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Chair Emeritus at the University of Virginia and one of the nation’s leading historians of early America. His scholarship has earned some of the field’s highest honors, including two Pulitzer Prizes and the Bancroft Prize, as well as numerous other awards. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016 and the American Philosophical Society in 2020.
Dr. Alan Taylor and Dr. Stan Deaton in conversation during An Evening with Alan Taylor in Savannah on September 10, 2026.
The Vincent J. Dooley Distinguished Fellows Program honors and secures Vince Dooley's legacy for his lifelong commitment to history and higher education. As a longtime member of the Georgia Historical Society's Board of Curators, Coach Dooley demonstrated his strong belief in and support of the Society's mission as a nationally recognized research and educational institution. The Dooley Distinguished Fellows Program is designed to accomplish two goals consistent with Coach Dooley's life and legacy: recognizing senior scholars in the field of history and mentoring and developing emerging historians. The Vincent J. Dooley Distinguished Fellows Program permanently associates Coach Dooley's name with outstanding historical research and scholarship through the ongoing recognition of Teaching and Research Fellows.
Dooley Distinguished Teaching Fellows are national leaders in the field of history. As authors and educators, they have enhanced or changed the way the public understands the past. In addition to their outstanding scholarship, Dooley Distinguished Teaching Fellows have served the Georgia Historical Society as faculty in teacher training seminars, public lecturers, consultants, or in a similar capacity, advancing the mission of the institution. Being designated as a Dooley Distinguished Fellow recognizes and formalizes the relationship forged through this service. Teaching Fellows receive a cash prize and a commemorative bust of Vince Dooley sculpted by artist Ross Rossin.
Taylor joins a distinguished group of previous Teaching Fellows, including award-winning author and journalist Steve Oney (2024), Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Annette Gordon-Reed (2022), Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist Rick Atkinson (2019), and Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian David W. Blight (2018).
Taylor’s induction came just days after the release of his newest book, Tower Hill: A Plantation on the Edge of Rebellion (W.W. Norton), which explores the context surrounding Nat Turner’s uprising. As the United States commemorates its 250th anniversary, the event offered attendees a timely opportunity to hear from one of the nation’s leading historians of early America about the people, events, and ideas that shaped the nation’s founding and early history.
For those unable to attend in person, the full program was livestreamed and is available to watch online, offering audiences everywhere the opportunity to experience Taylor’s induction and conversation. Watch the program by clicking here.
For additional information about the Vincent J. Dooley Distinguished Fellows Program or the Georgia Historical Society, please contact Keith Strigaro, Director of Public Relations and Communications, at 912.651.2125, ext. 153, or kstrigaro@georgiahistory.com.
The Vince Dooley bust by Atlanta artist Ross Rossin, presented to 2026 Vincent J. Dooley Distinguished Teaching Fellow Dr. Alan Taylor.
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The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia and American history. GHS houses the oldest and most distinguished collection of materials related exclusively to Georgia history in the nation.
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