Lycoming College will welcome Donald P. Gregg to campus on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. His speech, entitled “The dangers of demonization in dealing with states we do not understand,” will be held in Mary Lindsay Welch Honors Hall on the campus at Fourth and Basin streets in Williamsport. Prior to the event, from 7-7:30 p.m., he will be available for a book signing of his recent book, “Pot Shards: Fragments of a Life Lived in CIA, the White House, and the Two Koreas.” This event is free and open to the public.
Gregg currently serves as chairman of the Pacific Century Institute (PCI) and chairman emeritus of The Korea Society.
Upon graduation from Williams College in 1951, he joined the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Over the next quarter century, he was assigned to Japan, Burma, Vietnam and Korea. He was seconded to the National Security Council staff in 1979, where he was in charge of intelligence activities and Asian policy affairs.
In 1982, Gregg retired from the CIA to become the national security advisor to Vice President George H.W. Bush. When he retired, he was awarded the Distinguished Intelligence Medal. During his six years with Vice President Bush, Gregg traveled to 65 countries.
From 1980-1989, he also served as a professorial lecturer at Georgetown University, where he taught a graduate level workshop entitled Force and Diplomacy.
In September 1989, Gregg began his service as the United States Ambassador to Korea. Prior to his departure from Korea in 1993, he received the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, an honorary doctoral degree from Sogang University, and a decoration from the prime minister of Korea.
In March 1993, Gregg retired from a 43-year career in the United States government to become the president and chairman of The Korea Society. He has been chairman emeritus since 2009. In 2012 Gregg was appointed chairman of the Pacific Century Institute (PCI).
Gregg remains strongly interested in establishing normal relations with North Korea, a country he has visited six times. The Pacific Century Institute actively supports unofficial meetings between Americans with significant experience in Korea with North Korean officials. He led a PCI delegation to North Korea in February 2014.
Gregg won many awards and honors including an honorary degree from Green Mountain College, the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service, Williams College’s Kellogg Award for Career Achievement, the 2004 Bartels World Affairs Fellowship from Cornell University, and an honorary degree from Colorado College. Gregg and his wife were also honored by the establishment of The Donald P. and Margaret Gregg Professorship at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University.
Lycoming College is a four-year, residential liberal arts and sciences school dedicated to the undergraduate education of 1,400 students. Its rigorous academic program, vibrant residential community and supportive faculty foster successful student outcomes. Lycoming offers 36 academic majors and is recognized as a Tier 1 institution by U.S. News & World Report. Founded in 1812 and located near the banks of the Susquehanna River in Williamsport, Pa., Lycoming is one of the 50 oldest colleges in the nation. For more information, visit www.lycoming.edu.