Chicago, IL (June 22, 2009) - Gerhard L. Weinberg has been selected to receive the 2009 Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing. The $100,000 honorarium, citation and medallion, sponsored by the Chicago-based Tawani Foundation, will be presented at the Library's annual Liberty Gala on October 24, 2009 at Chicago's Palmer House Hilton Hotel. The announcement was made today via Internet webcast at www.pritzkermilitarylibrary.org.

The Pritzker Military Library Literature Award recognizes a living author for a body of work that has profoundly enriched the public understanding of American military history. A national panel of writers and historians - including the first and second recipients, James M. McPherson and Allan R. Millett - reviewed nominations and definitive works submitted by publishers, agents, booksellers, and other professional literary organizations.

James N. Pritzker, founder of the Pritzker Military Library and a retired Colonel in the Illinois Army National Guard, said that "Dr. Weinberg is truly a gifted writer of military history who has devoted his skills and talent to produce A World at Arms, perhaps the finest study of World War Two ever attempted by a single scholar."

Gerhard Weinberg was born in Hanover, Germany on January 1, 1928. He attended school there, but was expelled for being Jewish in 1938, and went to England. In 1940, his family moved to the United States. Weinberg graduated from Albany High School and enrolled in the New York State College for Teachers. He later served in the US Army in occupied Japan, teaching American GIs history and government as well as literacy classes. He took an MA in History at the University of Chicago in 1949 and a PhD in 1951.

Dr. Weinberg has taught at the Universities of Chicago, Kentucky, Michigan, and North Carolina, with visiting appointments at Bonn University in Germany and the US Air Force Academy. He has frequently lectured for the Extension Program of the Naval War College as well as at the Marine Corps University and the United States Military Academy at West Point.

He is author of many books including A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II (Cambridge University Press); World in the Balance: Behind the Scenes of World War II (University Press of New England); Germany, Hitler, and World War II: Essays in Modern German and World History (Cambridge University Press); Hitler's Foreign Policy 1933-1939: The Road to World War II (Enigma Books single-volume paperback available in Fall 2009); The Foreign Policy of Hitler's Germany (Prometheus Books);and Visions of Victory: The Hopes of Eight World War II Leaders (Cambridge University Press).

Dr. Weinberg currently serves as the William Rand Kenan, Jr. Professor Emeritus of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he has been a member of the history faculty since 1974. He lives with his wife in Efland, North Carolina. States Weinberg, "I am very grateful for the award and attribute much of the credit to the teachers at Hillcrest School in Swanage (England), Albany (New York), and Chicago who trained me wonderfully as well as to students, both undergraduate and graduate, who have challenged and inspired me over the years. And, of course, to all of the archivists who responded patiently to a very demanding visitor."

The Pritzker Military Library Literature Award was established in 2007. The recipient's contributions may be academic, non-fiction, fiction, or a combination of any of the three, and his or her work should embody the values of the Pritzker Military Library. The finalist recommendation was unanimously endorsed by the executive council of the Foundation established to oversee the award process.

The award will be presented on October 24, 2009 during the Library's annual Liberty Gala at Chicago's historic Palmer House Hilton Hotel. The Library will also recognize the Union League Club of Chicago with the Founder's Award. The evening will include a tribute to members of the U.S. Armed Forces, a performance by members of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and the presentation of the Colby Award, which recognizes first works of fiction or non-fiction that have made significant contributions to the public's understanding of intelligence operations, military history, or international affairs, to authors Marcus Luttrell (Lone Survivor) and Dexter Filkins (The Forever War). For more information on the Liberty Gala or to purchase tickets, visit the Gala website at: www.pmlgala.org.

###

ABOUT THE PRITZKER MILITARY LIBRARY
The Pritzker Military Library is a non-partisan, non-profit research institution located at 610 North Fairbanks Court in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, near the Magnificent Mile. Admission is free and open to the public, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and also for scheduled evening events.

The mission of the Pritzker Military Library is to acquire and maintain an accessible collection of materials and develop appropriate programs focusing on the Citizen Soldier in the preservation of democracy. The 5,000 sq. ft. facility features a collection of books and films on subjects covering the full spectrum of American military history, along with vintage posters, photographs, medals, uniforms, and other artifacts from private donors and the collection of the Library's founder, COL (IL) James N. Pritzker, IL ARNG (Ret.).

Since opening in October 2003, the Pritzker Military Library has produced over 250 programs including events with award-winning authors, interviews with Medal of Honor recipients, and Front & Center with John Callaway, the Library's Emmy-nominated flagship program on public affairs. All programs are presented free of charge in front of a live audience, webcast live and archived on the Internet, and recorded for later broadcast on WYCC-TV/Channel 20, a PBS affiliate. Programs are also available as audio podcasts on the Library website and at iTunes.

To learn more, please visit pritzkermilitarylibrary.org.

ABOUT THE TAWANI FOUNDATION
A registered 501 (c) (3) grant-making organization, Tawani Foundation promotes knowledge and understanding through the support of organizations dedicated to historical preservation, health and wellness, and environmental conservation. The Tawani Foundation awards grants to organizations according to the objectives of specified programs areas. The Foundation is committed to the four key Foundation initiatives of preservation of military heritage, conservation and preservation of historical sites, health and wellness and landmark gifts and grants.

To learn more about the Pritzker Military Library Literature Award or to make a nomination for the 2009 award, please visit the website at: www.tawanifoundation.org or write: Lisa M. Moeller, Executive Director, Tawani Foundation, 104 South Michigan, Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60603.