Guests enjoy refreshments under the pergola following a Little Lecture.

Little Lecture Series

Bob Bastress spoke about the state constitution in 2011.

 

The Little Lectures, sponsored by Robinson & McElwee law firm, are informal programs featuring respected speakers on a variety of topics. All programs are presented on Sunday afternoon beginning at 2:00 p.m. and are presented at our headquarters located at 1310 Kanawha Boulevard, East in Charleston. Admission is $10 per person and includes refreshments after the presentation.

When the weather is nice we often enjoy refreshments outdoors under our pergola. Please call Mark Payne at 304-346-8500 to inquire about seating availability. Seats may be reserved with advance payment. Otherwise seating is first-come, first-served until full.

 

2013 Little Lecture Schedule

Sunday, March 17
Eisenhower in War and Peace
Jean Edward Smith

The 2013 Little Lecture Series begins with award-winning biographer Jean Edward Smith discussing the subject of his newest book, Dwight D. Eisenhower. Smith has been called “today’s foremost biographer of formidable figures in American history.” He is a visiting scholar at Columbia University and previously was on the faculty at Marshall University. He has written several books including best-selling biographies of John Marshall, Ulysses S. Grant (a 2002 Pulitzer Prize finalist), and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Sunday, April 21
New Deal Photographs of West Virginia: 1934-1943
Betty Rivard

From 1934 to 1943 a photographic unit of ten photographers working for federal agencies captured over 1,600 images documenting West Virginia daily life. Their purposes were to show, with respect and dignity, the needs of rural and small town people during the Depression and how government was addressing these needs. Once World War II began the focus shifted to illustrating home front efforts.  The images show historical views of people in communities such as Point Pleasant, Elkins, Morgantown, Richwood, Summersville, Parkersburg, and Charleston as well as the homestead projects of Eleanor, Arthurdale and Tygart Valley.

Photographer Betty Rivard will share images from this photographic collection and discuss her book, New Deal Photographs of West Virginia: 1934-1943, published in the fall of 2012 by West Virginia University Press.

Sunday, May 19
The West Virginia Crafts Movement
Donald Page

West Virginia’s handicrafts revival originated in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Supported by a federal grant the state department of commerce initiated a program to encourage crafts education, production and marketing. Subsequently the first Mountain State Art & Craft Fair took place in July of 1963 as part of the state centennial. Other craft fairs, cooperatives and associations were born.

Donald Page was a coordinator of the state effort to assist craftspeople and establish markets during this formative period and will relate the history of the movement and current landscape for state crafts.

Sunday, June 23
Most Southern of the Northern
John Alexander Williams

Dr. John Alexander Williams’ 1976 book, West Virginia: A History, is widely regarded as one of the finest ever written about the Mountain State. Williams has taught at the University of Notre Dame, University of Illinois, West Virginia University and is Professor Emeritus of History at Appalachian State University. In addition to his teaching, lectures, and writing he has served as historian consultant for a variety of films, exhibitions, and special projects related to West Virginia and Appalachia.

Dr. Williams will close the 2013 Little Lecture Series with his thoughts on our state sesquicentennial.

Contact the Program Officer