The Francis Parkman Prize for Special Achievement is periodically given for scholarly and professional distinction. Since its establishment in 1962, the prize has been awarded five times: first to Allan Nevins for his indefatigable passion for the study, writing, and dissemination of history; second to Samuel Eliot Morison, preeminent scholar and author on naval history; third to Alfred A. Knopf, founder of the firm known for its excellence in historical publishing; fourth to Forrest C. Pogue, director of the Marshall Research Library and Foundation, biographer of George C. Marshall, and teacher and author of twentieth-century diplomatic and military history; and finally to Walter Lord, author of such classics as A Night to Remember (1955), Day of Infamy (1957), and The Dawn's Early Light (1972), "in recognition of a lifetime of articulate dedication to American history."