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Excellence in Arts and Letters Award
David Pietrusza, B.A. ’71, M.A. ’72
David Pietrusza has been called a “scholar, author,
editor, and renaissance man” as well as one of the best
historians in the United States. He has produced a
number of critically acclaimed works concerning 20th
century American history and America’s favorite pastime–
baseball.
Pietrusza is a noted presidential scholar, and his book
1960: LBJ vs JFK vs Nixon: The Epic Campaign That
Forged Three Presidencies was named by ForeWord
Magazine as among the best political biographies.
Pietrusza's 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents was
honored as a Kirkus "Best Books of 2007" title, and was
named an alternate selection of the History Book Club.
Historian Richard Norton Smith listed the book as being
among the best studies of presidential campaigns. "David
Pietrusza has a gift for making the past both real and
dramatically gripping,” Smith said. “In 1920 he has an
extraordinary cast of characters with which to work his
magic . . . An unforgettable group portrait of America on
the brink of modernity."
Pietrusza's brought his rich and compelling writing style
to his biography of Arnold Rothstein, “Rothstein: The
Life, Times & Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed
the 1919 World Series.” The book was a finalist for the
2003 Edgar Award, and his audio version won an
AUDIOFILE Earphones Award. “Pietrusza’s skills as a
researcher and a teller of tales stands out,” said Richard
Hamm, professor of history and public policy at the
University at Albany. “His works are deeply written,
informative … his works on these topics have superseded
all previous works, and I predict they will stand the test
of time.”
Pietrusza's Judge and Jury, his biography of baseball's
first commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, also
earned accolades–the book received the 1998 CASEY
Award, was a finalist for the 1998 Seymour Medal and
was nominated for the NASSH Book Award. His Lights
On!: The Wild Century-Long Saga of Night Baseball was
a 1997 CASEY Award finalist. Pietrusza also
collaborated with baseball legend Ted Williams on an
autobiography called Ted Williams: My Life in Pictures.
From 1993 to 1997, Pietrusza served as president of the
Society for American Baseball Research and was later the
editor-in-chief of the publishing company Total Sports.
Pietrusza’s books have been used as text at numerous
colleges, and he has been a frequent guest on ESPN
documentary series such as “SportsCentury,” “You Can't
Blame” and “Who's Number 1?” He has been
interviewed on NPR, MSNBC, C-SPAN2, SIRIUS-FM,
The History Channel and Bloomberg Radio, among
others. He has produced and written the PBS-affiliate
documentary, "Local Heroes."
“David Pietrusza writes history the way that novelists
strive to write fiction,” says writer and presidential
historian Anthony Bergen. “Pietrusza takes a seminal
event, introduces us to a broad, fascinating cast of
characters, and ties together numerous stories filled with
drama and even humor to create an exciting, addictive
tale. History books walk a fine line and it’s difficult for
historians to be informative and entertaining. Pietrusza
makes it look easy.”
UAlbany press release on the 2011 awards
David Pietrusza, B.A. ’71, M.A. ’72
David Pietrusza has been called a “scholar, author,
editor, and renaissance man” as well as one of the best
historians in the United States. He has produced a
number of critically acclaimed works concerning 20th
century American history and America’s favorite pastime–
baseball.
Pietrusza is a noted presidential scholar, and his book
1960: LBJ vs JFK vs Nixon: The Epic Campaign That
Forged Three Presidencies was named by ForeWord
Magazine as among the best political biographies.
Pietrusza's 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents was
honored as a Kirkus "Best Books of 2007" title, and was
named an alternate selection of the History Book Club.
Historian Richard Norton Smith listed the book as being
among the best studies of presidential campaigns. "David
Pietrusza has a gift for making the past both real and
dramatically gripping,” Smith said. “In 1920 he has an
extraordinary cast of characters with which to work his
magic . . . An unforgettable group portrait of America on
the brink of modernity."
Pietrusza's brought his rich and compelling writing style
to his biography of Arnold Rothstein, “Rothstein: The
Life, Times & Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed
the 1919 World Series.” The book was a finalist for the
2003 Edgar Award, and his audio version won an
AUDIOFILE Earphones Award. “Pietrusza’s skills as a
researcher and a teller of tales stands out,” said Richard
Hamm, professor of history and public policy at the
University at Albany. “His works are deeply written,
informative … his works on these topics have superseded
all previous works, and I predict they will stand the test
of time.”
Pietrusza's Judge and Jury, his biography of baseball's
first commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, also
earned accolades–the book received the 1998 CASEY
Award, was a finalist for the 1998 Seymour Medal and
was nominated for the NASSH Book Award. His Lights
On!: The Wild Century-Long Saga of Night Baseball was
a 1997 CASEY Award finalist. Pietrusza also
collaborated with baseball legend Ted Williams on an
autobiography called Ted Williams: My Life in Pictures.
From 1993 to 1997, Pietrusza served as president of the
Society for American Baseball Research and was later the
editor-in-chief of the publishing company Total Sports.
Pietrusza’s books have been used as text at numerous
colleges, and he has been a frequent guest on ESPN
documentary series such as “SportsCentury,” “You Can't
Blame” and “Who's Number 1?” He has been
interviewed on NPR, MSNBC, C-SPAN2, SIRIUS-FM,
The History Channel and Bloomberg Radio, among
others. He has produced and written the PBS-affiliate
documentary, "Local Heroes."
“David Pietrusza writes history the way that novelists
strive to write fiction,” says writer and presidential
historian Anthony Bergen. “Pietrusza takes a seminal
event, introduces us to a broad, fascinating cast of
characters, and ties together numerous stories filled with
drama and even humor to create an exciting, addictive
tale. History books walk a fine line and it’s difficult for
historians to be informative and entertaining. Pietrusza
makes it look easy.”
UAlbany press release on the 2011 awards
