Father Hartke: His Life and Legacy to the American Theater

Washingtonian magazine called Gilbert V. Hartke one of the five most powerful men in Washington, D.C. He was at once a flamboyant showman, respected statesman, and devout Dominican priest. The day after his death in February 1986, the Washington Post mourned him with a moving editorial and a full-page obituary that declared, "Father Hartke was a figure of legendary stature in the Washington theater community, but his influence and reputation extended far beyond. . . ."

In this long-awaited b...