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Constance Alexander Kentucky Writer, Columnist 634 Robertson Road South Murray, KY 42071 Work Phone: (270) 753-9279 Email: constancealexander@newwavecomm.com	HISTORY & WRITING Kilroy Was Here: Children on the Home Front in World War II Seventy years ago on December 7, 1941, the USA was plunged into World War II. Inspired by a series of oral history interviews, award-winning writer Constance Alexander tells the story of one Kentucky family through letters from GIs, a recipe, a jump rope rhyme, and radio ads. Ms. Alexander’s presentation features excerpts from her book, Kilroy Was Here, and allows time for discussion of oral history as a way to capture family history and community stories. Microphone and lectern required. The Way Home: What the Dying Teach Us about Living & Life As producer of an award-winning radio documentary project on end-of-life issues called “Promises to Keep,” Constance Alexander examined a range of issues associated with death and dying through a series of interviews with two women who were fighting cancer. Their stories were so compelling that Ms. Alexander wrote a theater piece that has been performed around the country to raise community awareness and spark discussion of issues such as cancer, the uninsured, hospice, caregiver challenges, and families facing the death of loved ones. This talk includes excerpts from the theater piece and allows for discussion of the role of community, friends, and families at the end of life. Microphone and lectern required. Who Needs June Cleaver? Constance Alexander’s weekly newspaper column has been recognized for excellence by the Kentucky Press Association and the Pew Center for Civic Journalism. This talk celebrates the importance of local newspapers in small communities, especially in rural areas. Ms. Alexander has found that readers’ favorites are the stories of growing up in a small town in the 1950s and 1960s. Her presentation features excerpts from her memoir, Who Needs June Cleaver? Microphone and lectern required.
Thomas G. Barnes, Ph.D. Extension Professor & Extension Wildlife Specialist Department of Forestry University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40546 Work Phone: (859) 257-8633 Home Phone: (859) 576-6624 Email: TBarnes@uky.edu	WILDLIFE & ENVIRONMENT Kentucky's Unbridled and Uncommon Natural Heritage Kentucky has a unique and beautiful natural world. Join us as we travel around the Commonwealth in search of what makes Kentucky unique. Kentucky has more miles of freshwater streams than any state except Alaska, resulting in more freshwater fish than any state except Tennessee and Alabama. The Commonwealth has more natural arches than any state except Utah. View outstanding photography showcasing the best Kentucky has to offer from beautiful mountain vistas to southern swamps, from tiny wildflowers to showy waterfalls, and from large antlered animals to creepy, crawly creatures. Learn about a Kentucky you never knew and why its natural world may be in peril. Projection screen required. Wildflower Myths and Realities Did you know that poison hemlock is so toxic that just three leaves will kill you? Or perhaps you enjoy a dose of “poke salad” in the spring, or go on the annual “dry land fish” hunt. Barnes, author of Rare Wildflowers of Kentucky, says humans and plants have a fascinating history: we have affected plants through artificial selection and plants have affected us. Barnes tells many plant stories and discusses what is happening to rare plants in Kentucky. Projection screen required. Caring for Creation: Scriptures and Environmental Stewardship Kentucky's loss of 130 acres per day to development and global warming will alter the environment in ways we could never envision. Who is responsible for this assault on nature? Many believe that the Christian and Jewish religions, which preach man’s “dominion” over creation, deserve a large part of the blame. In fact, there is empirical evidence that supports this thesis, but what is often overlooked is that religion also holds they key to protecting nature. Learn what scripture really has to say about caring for God’s creation, including the unbridled natural beauty and diversity of Kentucky. Projection screen required.
Stephen A. Brown Former Education Specialist Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHP 8009 Schroering Drive Louisville, KY 40291 Work Phone: (270) 307-0150 Email: HelloStephenB@gmail.com	LINCOLN & FRONTIER LIFE The Underground Railroad in Kentucky In this multimedia presentation, Brown will demonstrate the influences of slavery on Abraham Lincoln’s early years in Kentucky. A National Park Service research grant made it possible for Brown to document slave-owning neighbors and Underground Railroad activity in all of Kentucky. Projection screen required. Abraham Lincoln: Exploring Greatness Abraham Lincoln’s formative years in Kentucky had a lasting influence on his life, shaping him into the man he was destined to become. Primary documents from recent research into his father’s land speculation offer insights into the turbulent years spent in Kentucky. Excerpts from a research paper, “The Misunderstood Mary Todd Lincoln,” counter charges of insanity and explain how her immersion in Kentucky politics proved invaluable to Lincoln’s political career. Projection screen required. Grab a Glut: Pioneer Life in Kentucky Grab a glut, hang on to that froe and let’s rive some shingles: This is an interactive talk about pioneer life and early Kentucky history. Learn about Kentucky’s native son, Abraham Lincoln, his rail splitting skills, the clothes he wore, the food he ate, and how tools changed the frontier.
Kathy Bullock Professor of Music Berea College Department of Music Berea, KY 40403 Work Phone: (859) 986-6088 Email: bullockka@berea.edu	MUSIC & CULTURE African and African-American Musical Connections in Appalachia In this talk/demonstration, Bullock explores the connections between African-American and Appalachian music. Beginning with the African musical heritage, she moves to the United States, revealing the origins of African American folk songs, spirituals, work songs, and blues and their substantial influence on Appalachian culture. Through stories and songs, she invites the audience to explore and participate in the exciting musical experiences shared by African- American and Appalachian cultures. Piano or full-size keyboard required. Singing in the Spirit: Roots of African American Sacred Music Tradition Spirituals and gospel music are much more than pleasing songs to listen to — they are powerful representations of the triumphant spirit and faith that have defined African-American music and people. Bullock takes the audience on a musical journey from West Africa, through the middle passage, to the North American shores where the African-American culture was forged. Through songs, stories, and performance, this participatory program lets the audience experience the beauty, joy, and power of this music and culture. Piano or full-size keyboard required.
Megan Burnett Assistant Professor of Speech and Theatre Alice Lloyd College 100 Purpose Road Pippa Passes, KY 41844 Work Phone: (606) 368-6050 Email: meganburnett@alc.edu	HISTORY Women of the Settlement Schools in Eastern Kentucky Late in the 19th century, women from Central Kentucky and New England were instrumental in creating centers of learning in Southeastern Kentucky called Settlement Schools. Alice Geddes Lloyd and June Buchanan started Caney Creek Community Center in the 1920s. This learning center eventually became Alice Lloyd College, a private work-study college in Pippa Passes. Katherine Pettit and May Stone started the Hindman Settlement School in 1902. Other settlement schools include Pine Mountain Settlement School, Stuart Robinson School, and Kingdom Come School. Many of these schools are still in existence, though some have a new mission. The women who led these efforts often spent their lives in these small, rural communities in Appalachia, dedicated to educating people in the mountains of Kentucky. Microphone, lectern, projection screen, and Power Point projector required. Mattie Griffith Browne — Kentucky Abolitionist Mattie Griffith Browne was a driven, self-motivated woman from Kentucky. She was born in Louisville in the early 19th century to a family of wealth and privilege. She received a formal education, became a prolific writer and was raised with slaves serving her family. Browne is best known for her book, Autobiography of a Female Slave, printed in 1857, followed by Madge Vertner, published in serial form in the National Anti-Slavery Standard in 1859-60. Through her writing, Browne gives us an insight into the thoughts and fears of enslaved, Ann. She took a great risk in writing a book that would provide sympathy for the enslaved Africans throughout the South and an even greater risk in freeing the slaves she inherited from her family. Browne was a single woman and poor for many years. She married late in life to a man who supported her abolitionist work and efforts. As a part of this talk Burnett will read short selections from her books. Microphone, lectern, projection screen, and Power Point projector required.
Kelli Carmean Department of Anthropology Chair Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY 40475 Home Phone: (859) 622-1366 Email: kelli.carmean@eku.edu	HISTORY & ARCHAEOLOGY Creekside: An Archaeological Novel Creekside: An Archaeological Novel takes place in two time periods: the present, and the early Kentucky frontier. The setting is a Bluegrass pasture beside a creek slated for destruction prior to the construction of a subdivision named Creekside. Before the bulldozers roll in, a team of archaeologists race against time to uncover the remains of an early settler family that built their log cabin beside the creek. These stories provide a human context for the audience to engage with the realities of archaeology: daily experiences in a dig; tight contract deadlines; the use of heavy equipment; damage from looters and collectors; report writing and artifact analysis; and the reality of site destruction in the path of modern development. The stories also allow audience members to ponder the region’s history: early Euro-American settlement of Kentucky; Indians defending their land; the immigrant stampede down the Ohio River; and the persistent question of social class and land. Prehistoric Occupation in Madison County: Archaeological Investigations Four EKU archaeological field schools have been carried out at the Broaddus site, located on a ridge overlooking the Muddy Creek floodplain on the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County. The Broaddus site dates to the Late Prehistoric Period; radiocarbon dates identify an occupation that occurred around A.D. 1300, and likely spanned about 25 years. Fieldwork has documented the site as a medium-sized, sedentary circular village, with a cleared plaza area in the center of a dense midden ring. A low-burial mound, approximately seventy centimeters in height and twenty-five meters in diameter, is located in the west-southwest corner of the plaza. This presentation not only summarizes what has been learned, dispelling the myth that Native Americans did not live in Kentucky, but also how we have learned it through field and lab methods. Projection screen and Power Point projector required.
Berry Craig Professor of History, West Kentucky Community and Technical College 409 Highland Street Mayfield, KY 42066 Work Phone: (270) 804-1017 Email: bcraig8960@newwavecomm.net	Politics & History Len G. Faxon: Kentucky’s “Rebelest” Editor The Yankees at nearby Cairo, Illinois, weren’t just the enemy to Len G. Faxon, editor of the fiercely pro-Confederate Columbus Cresent. They were “bow-legged, wooden-shoed, sour craut stinking, bologna sausage eating, hen roost robbing Dutch sons of -------.” Their commander, according to Editor Faxon, was “a miserable hound, a sociable fellow, a treacherous villain, a notorious thief, a lying blackguard…” Col. Benjamin Prentiss was also a drunk who “embodies the leprous rascalities of the world,” declared Faxon, who is proof, as if proof were needed, that the Civil War was a mother lode of media bias. Lectern required. True Tails of Old-Time Kentucky Politics: Bombast, Burgoo, and Bourbon Kentucky politics was characterized by the three Bs — Bombast, Bourbon, and Burgoo. This talk examines each element singularly and ends by combining all three in a story that proves that politics is indeed “the damnedest in Kentucky.” This talk is non-partisan and features many stories that Craig included in his book, True Tales of Old-Time Kentucky Politics: Bombast, Bourbon, and Burgoo, which is in its second printing. Lectern required.
Ronald Elliott Kentucky Author 317 South Sixth Street Bardstown, KY 40004 Work Phone: (502) 349-9480 Email: authoron@yahoo.com	Writers, Politicians, & History Marse Henry Most Kentuckians’ knowledge of Henry Watterson is defined by the Louisville expressway which bears his name. However, in his day, the man who earned the respectful title “Marse Henry” was one of the most admired men in the newspaper business and a prime mover in the Democratic party. Watterson’s influence on media and politics was not confined to Kentucky’s borders, but extended across the country. He served as editor of Louisville’s Courier-Journal for more than thirty years. Watterson literally put his paper and Kentucky on the map. Lectern required. The Veep In 1913, Graves County native Alben Barkley was elected a Western Kentucky congressional representative. He wasted no time in becoming a force on the national political scene. Following his stint as representative, he was elected a senator, and went on to become vice president in 1948. In this talk, Elliott will recount Barkley’s political career and explain how the Kentuckian missed being President by a mere whisker not once, but twice, and impart a selection of Barkley’s wit and humor. Lectern required. Irvin S. Cobb — Kentuckian One of America’s most outstanding journalists, Irvin S. Cobb is the author of many memorable quotes. Among them: “being a New Englander is a chore and being a Virginian is a profession, but being a Kentuckian is an incurable disease.” In addition to being a famous newspaperman, author, lecturer, war correspondent, and humorist, Cobb was, indeed, the quintessential Kentuckian. Elliott will pass along the wit, humor, charm, and literary genius from the remarkable career of the man who, despite residing in Hollywood and New York, always signed in as “Irvin S. Cobb, Paducah, Kentucky.” Lectern and projector required.
John P. Ferré Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Communications Department of Communication University of Louisville Louisville, KY 40292 Work Phone: (502) 852-2237 Email: ferre@louisville.edu	RELIGION & POPULAR CULTURE Outrageous Offenses and Insults: Religious Films that Riled the Faithful At least since Cecil B. DeMille produced “King of Kings” in 1927, religion has been the subject of popular motion pictures. “Ben Hur,” “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” and “The Ten Commandments” have been favorites of commercial television for a half century. But beginning with “The Passion of Joan of Arc” in 1929 and continuing through such recent Hollywood blockbusters as “The Passion of Christ” and “The Da Vinci Code,” a number of movies about religion have offended the sensibilities of Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and Moslems. This talk examines the charges of sacrilege, immorality, and slander leveled against cinematic religion from the beginning of film until today. Animals are People, Too: Pet Heaven in Popular Books Three out of four Americans may believe in heaven, but if the proliferation of books with titles such as Cold Noses at the Pearly Gates and Spirit Dogs: Heroes In Heaven is any indication, their belief extends beyond humans to the pets that they care for. In this presentation, Ferré will examine the reasoning in dozens of popular books to show how religious orthodoxy in America is in a state of flux. Lectern, microphone and projector required.
Terry Foody Certified Clinical Research Coordinator University of Kentucky 2054 Clays Mill Road Lexngton, KY 40503 Home Phone: (859) 277-5291 Email: terryfoody@juno.com	HISTORY & CULTURE Infectious Disaster! The 1833 Lexington Cholera Epidemic During the 19th century, cholera raged through the United States several times, and Kentucky had very high fatality rates. In 1833, cholera killed one-tenth of Lexington’s population in just a few weeks. Foody will examine the devastation in Lexington from many angles — environmental, commercial, social, and medical. She will discuss early altruistic efforts, the black woman behind the white hero, the toll at the lunatic asylum, and societal trends revealed in death reports. Despite great medical advances, cholera is still a worldwide killer. Foody will explain why and compare it to other threatening global diseases, such as SARS and pandemic flu. Microphone, projection screen and Power Point projector required. A New Yorker Finds Her Old Kentucky Home When Terry Foody moved from New York state to Kentucky, her mother revealed that her family had lived in Kentucky and Missouri for several generations. Armed only with a list of their names, Foody went on a mission to find and stand on her ancestors’ land. In this talk she’ll describe the obstacles she ran into, including murky records and barbed wire, and the discoveries that made it all worthwhile: a hidden church, a lost road, an 1830s grave, and a special letter in a chocolate-covered-cherries candy box. She says it’s a journey of discovery any of us can make. Microphone and projection screen required.
Bob Fortunato 2501 East Highway 42 LaGrange, KY 40031 Home Phone: (502) 222-3069 Email: geniefor@bellsouth.net	HISTORY & CULTURE Baseball: America’s and Kentucky’s Game Baseball evolved out of the English games of cricket, rounders, and several American versions like the New York game. From 1876 to present there have been approximately 300 Kentucky-born Major League baseball players. Earle Combs was born in Pebworth, Kentucky, in 1899, and played baseball at Eastern Kentucky State Normal School. He is one of four Kentucky-born members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Combs played his entire career for the New York Yankees (1924-1935). Combs batted leadoff and played center field on the fabled 1927 Yankees team, often referred to as “Murderers Row.” Nicknamed the “Kentucky Colonel,” Babe Ruth said Combs was more than a good ball player, he was always a first-class gentleman. There are many more players, teams, and of course, the Louisville Slugger baseball bats that make Kentucky part of baseball history. Microphone and lectern required. A Confederate Veteran’s Life After the War In the wake of America’s Civil War, more than 40,000 Kentucky men who had worn the gray returned to the bluegrass. Most returned home to quiet, productive lives, but some were unable to cope with the postwar life. There was no institutional support, no pension, and no veteran’s benefits. By the 1880s, disabled Confederates grew more visible on the streets of Louisville, Frankfort, and Lexington. Some ended up in publicly funded almhouses, poor farms, or asylums typical of the time. The Confederate Home in Peewee Valley opened in 1902 to provide a respectable retirement home for Confederate Veterans. This talk describes a Confederate Veteran’s final years of life at the home in Peewee Valley. Microphone and lectern required.
Daryl L. Harris Assistant Professor Department of Theatre & Dance, Northern Kentucky University FA 205 Nunn Dr. Highland Heights, KY 41099 Work Phone: (859) 572-1472 Home Phone: (859) 250-1153 Email: harrisda@nku.edu	African-American Culture & History Hail to the Red, White & Black: A Look at "the Colored Troops" of the Civil War This talk looks at the roles of African-American soldiers during the American Civil War. Oddly enough, these soldiers fought on both sides of the conflict. This talk focuses particularly on Kentucky’s Camp Nelson where, according to some figures, more than 10,000 African-American soldiers were encamped (including the recently reactivated 12th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery) making it the third largest recruiting and training depot for African Americans in the nation. Lectern, projection screen, and DVD player required. Wanted: Freedom—Dead or Alive! This talk explores and honors the lives and legacies of Kentucky travelers on the Underground Railroad. Rare newspaper “wanted notices for runaways” that provide fascinatingly detailed insight into these courageous individuals inspired this talk. These and other archival newspaper clippings along with texts from “Slave Narratives,” poems, and Negro spirituals give further texture to the lives, personalities, and plights of those who sought freedom by any means necessary: some via the Underground Railroad, others via the “Train to Glory.” Lectern and microphone required. Lift Evr'y Voice and Sing For African Americans throughout Kentucky and the country, spirituals were the soundtracks upon which the Underground Railroad movement rolled. Freedom songs later helped pave the way toward true liberation. Because of its particular geographical and political positioning, Kentucky gave birth to its own unique musical expressions. Not all African Americans in Kentucky were enslaved; therefore the reservoir of folk culture from which they drew their characteristic forms of expression was rich and deep — often without fixed boundaries between the sacred and the secular. In this talk, Harris takes the audience on a musical history tour through hurt, healing, and happiness Lectern and microphone required.
Sue Lynn McDaniel Associate Professor, Special Collections Librarian, Department of Library Special Collections Western Kentucky University 1910 Karen Avenue Bowling Green, KY 42104 Work Phone: (270) 745-3246 Email: sue.lynn.mcdaniel@wku.edu	History & Culture Dying Proper: A Century of Kentucky Funerals Since 1870, Kentuckians have increasingly employed undertakers to perform many of the last duties for their deceased loved ones, yet core elements of the process and ceremony remain constant. As the services provided have changed, communities have changed their expectations for showing respect and the elements of a proper burial. From her knowledge of Kentuckians’ use of Victorian customs, McDaniel now explores what has been customary, what appears unique, and how location impacts our citizens’ understanding of death, burial, and mourning practices. Projection screen and Power Point projector required. Funny Little Thing Called Love At the turn of the twentieth century, the rules and American society’s expectations concerning courtship prior to marriage were changing. Etiquette books and popular literature warned young men and women against being casual in their interactions with the opposite sex. Leap year, in particular, was celebrated at a time when young women could bend the rules and be more direct in their conquests of potential husbands. Across the state of Kentucky, men and women kept diaries and letters that give insights into their interpretations of appropriate behavior. Yearbooks and school literary magazines commented on daily life. Through their eyes, we view this funny little thing called love, Kentucky style. Projection screen and Power Point projector required.
Jim McGarrah Author, Writing Instructor 120 North Bellaire Avenue Louisville, KY 40206 Home Phone: (502) 384-7215 Email: mcgarra48@gmail.com	WRITING When the Stars Go Dark Jim McGarrah is the author of seven books including the 2010 winner of Eric Hoffer Award for Legacy Nonfiction, A Temporary Sort of Peace, and two prize-winning collections of poetry. He has performed for audiences in Europe, Asia, and throughout the United States. Barbara Shoup, Director of the Indiana Writing Center, says McGarrah’s nonfiction “is insightful, heartbreaking, and at times, hilarious.” Of his poetry, Richard Jackson states, “From Vietnam to Biloxi to Guernica, investigating the back alleys, battlefields, and marketplaces that define us, McGarrah’s poems are characterized by the myth of love that grants us grace beyond our own humanity.” Readings are typically thirty to forty minutes with time for question and answer sessions and may consist of poems, essays, or both, depending on theme and audience requests. Lectern and microphone required. Defying Expectations: How Famous Writers Get Misunderstood Hosts may choose from one of three forty-five minute lectures centered on influential writers of the twentieth century. The first, “Ernest Hemingway: Latent Feminist” is an examination of female characters in Hemingway’s early novels in historical context. The second, “Ray Carver: The Poet Who Wrote Prose,” explicates Carver’s famous fiction by looking at his not-so-famous poetry. “Never Such Innocence Again” traces the evolution of war poetry from the trenches of World War I through the jungles of Vietnam and the deserts of Iraq. Lectern and microphone required.
Lynwood Montell Emeritus Professor of Folk Studies Western Kentucky University 1853 Cobblestone Ct. Bowling Green, KY 42103 Work Phone: (270) 796-1907 Email: LLMontell@insightbb.com	History & Folklore One-Room School Days Stories told by former teachers about the one-room school era are truly insightful and relative to life and times prior to television — and even after, in many instances. Teachers and students walked along dirt or muddy roads, crossed creek beds or rode horses or mules to reach the secluded areas that were home to one-room schoolhouses. In this talk, Montell relays the stories he collected, which describe school-day events, teacher-student relationships, students’ personal relationships, lunch-time foods and activities, stories about other teachers, and the importance of one-room schools as viewed by their teachers. Lectern and microphone required. More Kentucky Ghost Stories Much of Kentucky’s rich historical legacy is preserved in ghost stories including those related to the Civil War, ancestors, graveyards, murder victims, haunted spots on the landscape, haunted houses, and ghostly lights and screams. Montell’s talk will also discuss the historic value of hearing and preserving Kentucky’s verbal legacy. Lectern and microphone required. Super Humorous Stories Special professional and public groups located across the Commonwealth know how to spin lengthy, truthful, humorous yarns relative to their own personal careers, and their colleagues. The truly humorous stories told during this presentation focus on descriptive accounts told by Kentucky lawyers, judges, physicians, funeral directors, school teachers, and preachers. All stories included in this talk were recorded by Montell during interviews with each storyteller for inclusion in relative books. Lectern and microphone required.
Maureen Morehead Kentucky Poet Laureate 17015 Camberwell Court Louisville, KY 40245 Home Phone: (502) 244-3087 Email: maureen.morehead@gmail.com	POETRY The Role of Place in Poetry It is generally known that Southern writers anchor their work in place. Though she is not a native of Kentucky, having spent her childhood in central Illinois, Maureen Morehead’s longtime residency in the Commonwealth has resulted in poetry that is filled with the images and stories of her adopted state. As a Kentucky writer, she is part of a large, strong literary tradition that has always celebrated the state’s natural beauty and looked out for its best interests. In this talk, Morehead will discuss how living in and learning about Kentucky has influenced and shaped her poems. She will read from her work to illustrate that influence. Introduction to the Poetry of Thomas Merton In 1941, when Thomas Merton entered the Abbey of Gethsemani, a Trappist Monastery in Kentucky, monks were allowed to write two half-page letters four times a year. At the time of his death in 1968, Merton had become one of the most prolific writers of the twentieth century, publishing poetry, religious writings, autobiography, essays, reviews, and photography. At his death, he left 800,000 words of unpublished personal writings, letters and journals, and tape recordings of talks he had given, since transcribed, edited, and released. What we know about Merton is that his life was a paradox: he was a man who loved the silence afforded a monk, yet needed the political platform of a social activist. So he wrote about the beauty of the world, the individual’s search for meaning, the unity of creation, silence and contemplation; and he wrote about the atrocities of the modern world: the nuclear bomb, Hitler’s death camps, protest against the Vietnam War, frustration over his country’s racism. This lecture will take a close look at Merton’s poems written from both the contemplative and the activist sides of his nature. For Merton these two poles, which became inseparable, were each vital for salvation.
Nikos Pappas 212 Catalpa Drive #1 Lexington, KY 40502 Home Phone: (859) 533-2814 Email: nikos.pappas@uky.edu	MUSIC & CULTURE Music and the Genteel in Mid-19th Century America Before the days of recorded sound, the only music anyone heard was performed live. Because of this phenomenon, a musical ability served an integral part in polite society throughout the 19th century. Further, musical works also functioned as items of topical interest, relating to newsworthy events, famous people and places, societal issues, and many others. This talk will explore the role of music in polite society, drawing upon Kentucky compositions to explicate music among the genteel and its role in shaping people’s understandings of topical events in the era of the War Between States. Focus will be given to both Union and Confederate sides of the conflict, featuring detailed historical context and live performance. Lectern, microphone and tuned piano required. Commemorating the Civil War through Fiddle Music Of all the events in our nation’s history, few evoke such a strong image as the Civil War. This phenomenon remains as true today as it did for the witnesses to this cataclysmic conflict. Often not a part of elite society, the average soldier and citizen of the day would commemorate these events and its military leaders through musical pieces on the one instrument of social equality: the fiddle. As a result, many Kentucky musicians preserved these tunes through oral tradition. Entering into the mindset of the common citizenry though its fiddle music allows not only for a rare glimpse into the personal ramifications of this conflict, but also perhaps a greater understanding of the Civil War itself. This presentation will focus on the events and people commemorated in Kentucky fiddle tunes, featuring oral history, social and historical context, and live performance. Lectern and microphone required.
Hugh Ridenour Historian and Author 1715 Stagecoach Road Hanson, KY 42413 Home Phone: (270) 825-1533 Email: treetops@spis.net	History & Culture Reluctant World War II Hero and the Elusive Medal of Honor Garlin M. Conner, one of Kentucky’s most decorated World War II soldiers, perhaps the most decorated, failed to receive the Medal of Honor. This talk will reveal the details of the heroic soldier’s exploits, praise from his commanders, and the story of efforts to posthumously award him the nation’s highest honor and thereby rectify and obvious oversight. A Confederate Surgeon’s Tale: Life and Death in the Orphan Brigade As a surgeon for various regiments of the famous Orphan Brigade and John Morgan’s partisans, Kentucky native John Orlando Scott practiced his trade at numerous Civil War battles, including Shiloh. Ridenour will display Scott’s personal scrapbooks, from which this presentation is taken. From Pantry to Table: History, Recipes, and Other Gifts Hear the saga of the Green family dynasty of Falls of Rough and share Kentucky’s culinary past through an heirloom recipe collection rescued from the pantry of the Greens’ 1839 mansion. Carolyn Ridenour joins her husband for this journey into a bygone time when food preparation required perseverance and talent and setting a fine table was a social necessity. Green family dining items will be displayed.
Albert Schmid Professor and Chair, Hotel-Restaurant, Hospitality and Beverage Management Sullivan University P.O. Box 34331 Louisville, KY 40232 Work Phone: (502) 938-2560 Email: aschmid@sullivan.edu	Culture, & Cuisine Creating Food Memories Everyone has a memory of food from their past; some good and some bad. The good memories stand out and create a lifetime reference point, from which all future similar experiences are judged. What if you could create such a memory for your children and grandchildren? Albert Schmid will discuss ways that you can create food memories for the people you love that will last a lifetime. Culinary Tourism in Kentucky Kentucky has a unique culinary tradition. Schmid will discuss the development of Kentucky cuisine and will place some of the dishes in historical perspective. In addition, Schmid will define the culinary tourist as well as the concepts related to culinary and gastronomic tourism. His talk will explore the industries that create tourism and expenditures by tourists. Schmid will also touch on culinary dishes that are considered authentic in the Bluegrass State and discuss the development of culinary tourism.
Allen J. Share Distinquished Teacher and Professor, Division of Humanities University of Louisville 303 Bingham Humanities Building Louisville, KY 40292 Work Phone: (502) 852-6427 Email: allen.share@louisville.edu	History The Revolutionary Impact of Steamboats on the Western Waters Two hundred years ago, in 1811, the first steamboat made its maiden voyage on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, inaugurating revolutionary changes in the life of the new country. This talk will examine the impact of steamboats on life in pioneer Kentucky, the Ohio Valley, and the first West. Lectern and microphone required. The Civil War: Irrepressible Conflict or Avoidable Tragedy? For 150 years people have been arguing whether or not the Civil War was an avoidable and hence unnecessary conflict, a thesis which historian David Goldfield revives in his new 600-page history America Aflame. This talk will examine both sides of this argument with particular reference to the life’s work of Kentucky’s greatest statesman, Henry Clay, known as the “Great Compromiser.” Lectern and microphone required. The Titanic Disaster in American Culture On the night of April 14-15, 1912, the reputedly “unsinkable” luxury liner Titanic sank on its maiden voyage. As we approach the 100th anniversary of this landmark event this talk will assess the impact of the Titanic disaster on American culture, which it has affected in myriad ways for the past century. Lectern and microphone required.
Pam Smith Author 141 Asbury Avenue Evanston, IL 60202 Home Phone: (312) 719-3740 Email: psmith30@aol.com	History Jefferson’s Nephews and the Murder at Rocky Hill: How the People Enslaved were Affected In 1811 in western Kentucky, President Thomas Jefferson’s nephews brutally murdered a teenage boy named George who was enslaved by the family. It was a gruesome event. Were it not for the seismic New Madrid earthquake the crime may never have been uncovered. The story was prominent in local newspapers at the time and is chronicled in the book Jefferson’s Nephews: A Frontier Tragedy by Boynton Merrill. Pam Smith, a descendant of a woman enslaved on one of the family’s farm, retells the story from the possible perspective of the people held in bondage there. What can we learn from this tragedy? Can it help us move forward together? Power Point projector and projection screen required. If Records Could Talk: What Kentucky’s Loose Court Bundles Might Say Records can’t talk. Or can they? We need only read them to know. The back rooms of courthouses across Kentucky and many other states are home to string-tied loose court bundles dating back to frontier times. These 200-year-old pieces of paper, tax, and probate records are often the sole source of evidence regarding slaveholding and slavery. They paint a clearer picture of Kentucky from its founding as a frontier settlement through the Civil War. Piecing a story together from records like these is an archeological task. Join us as we brush off the dust to reveal what these official documents can teach us about black and white people’s lives. Power Point projector and projection screen required.
John Sparks 1257 Kentucky Route 1428 Hager Hill, KY 41222 Home Phone: (606) 788-9124 Email: jgsprks@bellsouth.net	HISTORY Rev. John Taylor of Kentucky: Frontier Preacher, Prophet, and Philosopher In this talk Mr. Sparks will outline and discuss the life, times, and writings of Rev. John Taylor (1753-1835), emphasizing the historical aspects of Taylor’s prose and his unique position in the pioneer Kentucky’s religious community as “prophet” and “devils advocate.” Sources include Taylor’s Thoughts on Missions, History of Ten Churches, and History of Clear Creek Church. This talk emphasizes the historical, philosophical, and sociological aspects, rather than the religious. Microphone and lectern required. Charles Chilton Moore: Barton Stone’s Grandson, and Kentucky’s Most Hated Man Charles Chilton Moore Jr. (1837-1906) was an ex-preacher, memoirist, and editor of the prohibitionist/free thought newspaper, the Bluegrass Blade. Moore used his newspaper to publicly embrace women’s suffrage, prohibition, publication of scientific information related to human sexuality, and agnosticism. The controversial nature of his writing led to many physical altercations and attacks on Moore as well as an attempted assassination. Microphone and lectern required.
Georgia Green Stamper Kentucky Writer, Memoirist, Essayist, NPR Local Commentator 3220 Penbroke Place Lexington, KY 40509 Work Phone: (859) 264-0465 Home Phone: (859) 619-5700 Email: Georgia@georgiagreenstamper.com Website: georgiagreenstamper.com	Writing Kentuckians are Storytellers: So Are You Writing Yours Down? Storytelling is bred into the DNA of Kentuckians, or as Stamper says, “Storytelling was the only thing that kept generations of Kentuckians from going stark-raving mad during those long, cold winters in the tobacco stripping room.” The stories play an essential role in binding family and community, and defining people. With humor and reflection, Stamper reads from her personal stories of place and kin, encouraging listeners to remember and treasure their own. Lectern and microphone required. You Can Go Anywhere from the Crossroads of the World Stamper, a seventh-generation Kentuckian, grew up on an Owen County tobacco farm near one of the state’s forgotten crossroads. Her life was straight out of a Wendell Berry novel, she says, and like Berry, her father taught her to respect their unique rural culture. Its values, he said, would sustain her wherever she might go if SHE didn’t let them go. With humor, pathos, and respect, Stamper celebrates the stories of others who lived at the place she calls home. From farmers in bathrobes who taught her the true meaning of Christmas, to a shell-shocked housepainter who took her to Hell on a train, to the 400-pound Nat Lee whose sour mash whiskey won first prize at the Chicago World’s Fair, Stamper’s real-life Kentuckians will stir the hearts of audiences. Lectern and microphone required. You Might as Well Laugh Mother Always Said From country stores to country clubs, Kentuckians are known for their humorous stories about the everyday. In this entertaining presentation culled from her most popular NPR commentaries, Stamper continues in this tradition. She explores challenges of her ordinary life in Kentucky including her misadventures as a counterfeit southern cook and her experience as a Decades Diet group leader in one of America’s plumpest states. And always she tiptoes along Erma Bombeck’s “thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy, and tragedy.” Lectern and microphone required.
Ernest M. Tucker Deptment of History Ashland Community College 510 West Pamela Drive Ashland, KY 41102 Work Phone: (606) 326-2030 Email: ernie.tucker@kctcs.edu	HISTORY & FOLKLORE Tools, Implements, and Devices of the Civil War Era Professor Tucker will display a selection of tools, implements, and devices that would have been used on the farm at the time of the Civil War. He will demonstrate how they were used and share the fascinating stories associated with them. Tucker has spent more than 40 years collecting these items and the stories. Microphone and tables required. The Kitchen: The Warmest Room in the House Tucker’s presentation will involve more than thirty-five years of collecting Eastern Kentucky folk remedies and the stories that go along with them. Interviewing more than four thousand people who lived in a time when hospitals and doctors were scarce in the region. He has recorded his findings in a book-length manuscript on folk medicine in Eastern Kentucky’s recent past. Microphone and tables required.
Maryjean Wall PhD, author of How Kentucky Became Southern: Tale of Outlaws, Horse Thieves, Gamblers, And Breeders University of Kentucky 183 Woodlark Road Versailles, KY 40383 Work Phone: (859) 312-2803 Email: maryjeanwall@gmail.com	History & Horses Between North & South: Kentucky Horses and the Civil War Abraham Lincoln said, “I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky.” Many others engaged in the Civil War felt the same way about Kentucky horses. Soldiers, guerrillas, and outlaws prized Kentucky horses for their speed, endurance, and agility in battle. They raided Bluegrass farms with impunity and on one occasion, rode off with arguably the best racehorse in America. This talk covers a wide range of matters “equine” relating to Kentucky Thoroughbreds, trotters, and saddlers during the war and the Bluegrass farms they came from. The talk also covers racing which took place in Kentucky and in the North during the war years — and how the horse auctions in Kentucky were negatively affected by the war. Power Point projector and projection screen required. My Old Kentucky Home: Fast Horses and African American Free Towns Numerous “free towns” or rural hamlets established during or after slavery in Central Kentucky produced much of the work force needed to maintain the horse farms that became iconic to the region. This talk is built around one of the most famous African American horseman that these hamlets produced: champion jockey Jimmy Winkfield. Racism and lack of opportunity drove him from the United States to Russia, where he rode for royalty and then escaped the Bolsheviks. Power Point projector and projection screen required. Road to the Triple Crown Maryjean Wall wrote about the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes for thirty-five years while a sportswriter for the Lexington Herald-Leader. This talk runs a range of topics from getting horses prepared for the Triple Crown races to personal remembrances and anecdotes gathered along the road to many Kentucky Derbies throughout a long career. The talk also addresses the culture of race horses in Kentucky. Power Point projector and projection screen required.
Angene & Jack Wilson Kentucky Authors 3424 Keithshire Way Lexington, KY 40503 Home Phone: (859) 223-3746 Email: angenewilson@windstream.net	Kentucky & The Peace Corps The Peace Corps: An Historical and Kentucky Perspective With the Peace Corps celebrating its 50th anniversary, this talk will discuss the early history of the Peace Corps, which was founded by President Kennedy and brought to life by Sargent Shriver. The talk will be based on research, oral history interviews, and the Wilsons’ experience as volunteers in the first group in Liberia. They will also read from their book, Voices from the Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Kentucky Volunteers, focusing on the Kentucky backgrounds of volunteers and the contributions many returned volunteers have made to the Commonwealth. Microphone and lectern required. Chicken Heads, Weddings, and “The Principal’s Sugar Cane Field is on Fire” In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, the Wilsons will read especially interesting stories from Kentucky connected volunteers. These stories were shared with them when they conducted eighty-six oral history interviews from 2004-2009 for their book, Voices from the Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Kentucky Volunteers, published in March 2011 by the University Press of Kentucky. The book follows the Peace Corps experience or life cycle with chapters entitled: “Why We Went,” “Getting In,” “Training,” “Living,” “Telling Stories,” “Friends Can Become Family,” “Coming Home,” “Making a Difference,” and “Becoming Citizens of the World.” Microphone and lectern required.