Secretary of State Madeleine Albright Event for Students, Community

There are still tickets left to hear former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright speak about her public service and her new book at an event this month.

According to Rue Eisen, spokeswoman for Don Bosco Prep, Albright’s visit – , will have a cap on the number of tickets sold. And, the school is expecting a lot of local residents to purchase tickets since this is Albright’s only talk on her new book, Prague Winter, A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948, in the tri-state area.

“We haven’t had anyone of this note at the school before,” Eisen said of the Secretary’s impending visit. “But, we hope that this will be the first of many over the years.”

The event was born out of an idea from Bosco alum Albert Wunsch, an attorney who Eisen said is passionate about bringing notable speakers to the school for the benefit of both the student body and community members in Ramsey and surrounding towns.

Wunsch made a connection with Bookends, a bookstore in Ridgewood, which is co-sponsoring the event.

“We can work with Bookends to bring great speakers, and we can provide a venue [in our auditorium] for speakers who will attract large crowds,” Eisen said. The school hopes to continue the partnership in the future to bring more speakers to Ramsey.

Albright is set to talk about her new book, which is a story about her birth and early years growing up in Czechoslovakia.

The event is meant not only for Bosco students – who will receive extra credit for attending – but for the greater community to attend, Eisen said.

“As a college prep school, having national figures here is definitely of interest to our students, and we expect to have a lot of our students there. But it’s in the middle of their week off for winter recess,” she said. “So, we are hoping a lot of community residents come out for the event too.”

Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for students. The ticket price includes one paperback copy of "Prague Winter." Seating is general admission and the doors will open at 5 p.m. with the program to begin at 7 p.m. Don Bosco is wheelchair accessible.

To purchase tickets, contact Bookends at 201-445-0726 or the Don Bosco Prep Advancement Office at alumni@donboscoprep.org or 201-327-2049.

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