Novelist speaks at Samuel D. Affron Memorial Lecture

(Left) Pictured with Bradford during a reception in her honor are (from left) R. Abel Garraghan, Mount Saint Mary College chairman of the board, and his wife, Nancy; Stephen Affron, CEO of Affron Fuel Oil, Inc.; Barbara Taylor Bradford, Samuel Affron, great grandson of Samuel D. Affron; Fr. Kevin Mackin, Mount president, and Marilyn and John D’Ambrosio, president of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce. (Middle) Fr. Kevin Mackin (right) chats with Bradford and her husband, Bob Bradford, during the reception. (Right) William Kaplan (left), whose generosity of time and money has helped construct or renovate countless public and private buildings in and around the City of Newburgh, NY, at the book signing following the lecture.

Best-selling author Barbara Taylor Bradford, OBE, was the featured speaker for the 2012 Samuel D. Affron Memorial Lecture at Mount Saint Mary College. Bradford’s humorous and engaging presentation focused on her life, career and latest novel, “Letter from a Stranger” about a young woman who discovers her beloved grandmother, presumed dead, is in fact alive, estranged by her mother. The granddaughter’s exploration reveals family secrets leading back to World War II and the Holocaust. Bradford, a longtime resident of New York City, is one of the world's best loved storytellers. Her 1979 debut novel, “A Woman of Substance,” ranks as one of the top 10 bestselling books of all time, with more than 31 million copies in print. Bradford's books have sold more than 85 million copies worldwide in more than 90 countries and 40 languages. She was inducted into the Writers Hall of Fame of America, and was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Mount Saint Mary College presented Bradford, who was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK, with an honorary doctor of letters degree in 2011. This lecture was made possible through the generosity of the Affron family. Jerome S. Affron, a former Mount Saint Mary College trustee, established the Samuel D. Affron Memorial Lecture Series in honor of his father in 1982.