Matthew Fontaine Maury lived an extraordinary life.  What were his contributions to the Confederacy?  The sciences? What was his connection to Fredericksburg, VA?  These questions and many more will be addressed by our February guest speaker, John Grady. 

John Grady, a managing editor of Navy Times for more than eight years and retired communications director of the Association of the United States Army after 17 years, continues writing on national security and defense.  He is a contributor to the Naval History and Heritage Command's Civil War blog and lives in Fairfax, Virginia.  His book, "Matthew Fontaine Maury, Father of Oceanography: A Biography, 1806-1873", was published in January 2015.