Better Together event features author/historian David McCullough

The ballroom of The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota was packed to the brim March 2 when community leaders gathered for one of the biggest luncheons of the year (with nearly 700 guests), Better Together.

Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s annual lunch and learn sold out within three days of the start of ticket sales in January, which very well might be due to the speaker, renowned historian and author David McCullough.

McCullough has two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Book Awards, and once received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. His books include “The Johnstown Flood,” “The Great Bridge,” “Mornings on Horseback,” and many more. His most recent, “The Wright Brothers,” was on the The New York Times' best-seller list for nine months.

Luncheon guests mingled and enjoyed lunch before listening to McCullough’s talk, which focused on communities, leadership and innovation.