and i too want to say a special word of thanks to lou erman. the generous underwriter of the series and one of the best friends american history has ever had. [ applause ] >> as some of you may know, i spent a great deal of the professional life writing about new york governors, including those who would presume to follow in washington's footsteps. in this case, i have to say albany's loss is america's gain. it is hard to imagine anyone equaling lou's efforts to combat the scourge of historical illiteracy, a plague well captured in a recent newspaper cartoon, depicting the response of a father and his son to an ominous newspaper headline declaring students stumble on history. you have all read that story. variations. this is such a national tragedy says the father, the newspaper at hand. yeah, replies the son. like when the japanese attacked the alamo. [ laughter ] >> of course, we historians are often accused of loving the past so much that we in effect live in it. when you consider the alternative to be charlie sheen -- [ laughter ] -- tmz, a