The WakeMed Foundation is pleased to welcome celebrated filmmaker Ken Burns as the keynote speaker for the annual Society of 1961 Appreciation Gala on November 29.
Burns has been making films for more than 30 years. Since the Academy Award-nominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1981, Burns has directed and produced some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made. His 18-and-a-half hour Baseball series is the most-watched series in PBS history. Some of his other landmark works include The Civil War, Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery and Jazz. Burns’ most recent work, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, focuses on the ideas and individuals that helped propel into existence today’s National Parks. Many sports fans will be pleased to know he is currently working on an update to his 1994 epic Baseball.
The WakeMed Foundation hosts this annual recognition event for The Society of 1961 members who are the major supporters of the hospital, having contributed more than $1,350 annually. Previous presenters at the annual dinner include Bob Costas, Cokie and Steve Roberts, Walter Cronkite, Colin Powell, Tom Brokaw and Bob and Lee Woodruff. The proceeds from this year’s event will benefit the expansion of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the recently opened WakeMed Children’s Hospital.
