Continuing a family tradition, Bruce C. McKenna, grandson of CMC Founding Trustee Donald C. McKenna, will be the featured guest at the WordsWorth Society Lunch hosted by the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum at noon on Monday, Oct. 11. The lunch honors the 97th birthday of the elder McKenna, who was known among other accomplishmentsfor encouraging a rich vocabulary.
Bruce McKenna, a Los Angeles-based screenwriter and Emmy Award nominee, says that what his grandfather enjoyed most was interacting with the students of Claremont McKenna College, and attending monthly WordsWorth Society lunches. Participants were required to each research a word of their choice, including its history, derivation, meaning, and usage. "He visited campus to challenge the students as well as to learn from them," McKenna says. "He wanted CMC to become a vibrant place of learning and not a faceless institution. I'd like to continue the WordsWorth Society lunches as a tribute to my grandfather."
In 2002, coinciding with McKenna's 95th birthday, the WordsWorth Society lunches were reactivated on an annual basis, in commemoration of that legacy.
Bruce McKenna shares his grandfather's passion for words, writing on subjects ranging from Saint Patrick to the rise of Hitler. In addition to his Emmy nomination, he received the Writers Guild Award for his work on Band of Brothers, the acclaimed HBO miniseries produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. His most current project, a new World War II miniseries for HBO, rejoins him with Spielberg and Hanks, for a look at the Marine Corps and aviators in the Pacific.
"Bruce is a wordsmith himself," says Bonnie Snortum, Athenaeum director. " He's the ideal person to come and talk about his grandfather, and to perpetuate his love for language."
Requirements for attending Monday's lunch? Attendees should of course come prepped with an interesting word they have researched, including its history, derivation, meaning, and usage.