NORTHFIELD, Vt. — Mark Treanor has won the 2021 William E. Colby Award for his book, “A Quiet Cadence.” Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont, presents the award, now in its 22nd year, annually to a first solo work of fiction or nonfiction that has made a major contribution to the understanding of military history, intelligence operations, or international affairs.
“A Quiet Cadence,” (Naval Institute Press, 2020) is the story of a young U.S. Marine in combat and dealing with its aftermath over the years since his war.
Treanor grew up in Rutland, Vermont, and splits his time between Quechee, Vermont, and Edgewater, Maryland. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and commissioned into the U.S. Marines as a 2nd lieutenant in 1968. He was a rifle platoon leader in Vietnam, an artillery battery commander and leadership instructor and later served on the boards of the National Defense University and the Naval Academy.
“A Quiet Cadence” is the story of a young U.S. Marine in combat in the Vietnam War and dealing with its aftermath over the years since his war.
Treanor is a University of Maryland School of Law graduate, where he was a member of the school’s Law Review and Order of the Coif. He has been a lawyer, corporate executive, and leadership coach who has participated in national security fact-finding missions in Iraq, Yemen, Africa and the Caucasus. He also studied in the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program
Treanor recently retired as chairman of the board (nonexecutive) of Virtus Investment Partners Inc. (NASDAQ: VRTS), and as an executive leadership coach with Cambria Consulting Inc. Previously, Treanor was the senior executive vice president and general counsel of Wachovia Corp. (1999-2008). During his tenure, he was named one of the five best general counsel in the United States by Corporate Board Member magazine. Before joining Wachovia, he was senior partner of Treanor Pope & Hughes, a Maryland law firm he founded, focusing on complex corporate litigation and serving as lead trial lawyer in cases in 17 states.
Treanor is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum. He is former chairman of the Advisory Committee to the Export-Import Bank of the United States, vice chairman of the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Naval Academy, chairman of the National Defense University Foundation, and a former member of the boards of the National Defense University, the University of Maryland School of Law, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, the University of North Carolina Center for Banking and Finance and the Financial Services Roundtable.
Treanor is at work on his second novel. He and his wife, Claire, a retired attorney and school counselor, have four children and five grandchildren.
“I’m thrilled to have been chosen as the recipient of the 2021 Colby Award; it is a great honor to join the company of the distinguished writers who have been prior recipients,” Treanor said. “And, it is truly gratifying that the judges chose a novel which explores the realities of combat and its postwar impact on our troops.”
Colby Award winners receive a $5,000 author honorarium provided through the generosity of the Chicago-based Pritzker Military Foundation, on behalf of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library. Treanor will receive the award and honorarium during the Norwich University Military Writers’ Symposium, Nov. 3 through Nov. 4, 2021, on Norwich University’s Northfield, Vermont campus.
Finalists for the 2021 Colby Award included “Feeding Victory,” by Jobie Turner and “Inside the Hot Zone,” by Mark G. Kortepeter.
“A Quiet Cadence was a joy to read, a true page-turner with timeless themes about trauma and redemption, and with one hell of a powerful ending,” Colby Award selection committee chairman, historian and bestselling author Alex Kershaw H’19 said. “Hopefully the book will now find a wider, well-deserved audience.”
The Colby Award, named for the late ambassador and former CIA director William E. Colby, began at Norwich University in 1999. Previous Colby Award recipients include Paul Scharre, Nisid Hajari, Thomas McKenna, James Bradley, Nathaniel Fick, Jack Jacobs, Dexter Filkins, Marcus Luttrell, John Glusman, Karl Marlantes, Adam Higginbotham and Steven Sodergren.
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About the Pritzker Military Museum & Library
The Pritzker Military Museum & Library aims to increase the public’s understanding of military history, military affairs and national security by providing a forum for the study and exploration of our military — past, present, and future — with a specific focus on their stories, sacrifices, and values. With national and global reach, these spaces and events aim to share the stories of those who served and their contributions as citizen soldiers, helping citizens everywhere appreciate the relationship between the armed forces and the civilians whose freedoms they protect. A non-governmental, non-partisan organization, the Museum & Library features diverse collections, scholarly initiatives, and public programs from its flagship center in downtown Chicago to its world-class research center and park currently under construction in Somers, Wisconsin. Each year, the Museum & Library awards the prestigious Pritzker Military Museum & Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing to recognize a living author who has made a significant contribution to the understanding of military history including military affairs.
About Norwich University
Norwich University is a diversified academic institution that educates traditional-age students and adults in a Corps of Cadets and as civilians. Norwich offers a broad selection of traditional and distance-learning programs culminating in baccalaureate and graduate degrees. Norwich University was founded in 1819 by U.S. Army Capt. Alden Partridge and is the oldest private military college in the United States. Norwich is one of our nation's six senior military colleges and the birthplace of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). www.norwich.edu
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