Sheldon Hackney, 79, NEH Chair And Reluctant Soldier In Culture Wars

“He came to national attention as president of the University of Pennsylvania, which he led from 1981 until 1993, when President Bill Clinton selected him for the [National Endowment for the Humanities] post. … Dr. Hackney said he aimed to cultivate a ‘national conversation’ on American identity and steadfastly defended the government’s role in promoting the humanities.”