World War I Series Begins Thursday at RPL

Dr. Buck Foster of the Arkansas Department of Heritage will offer a presentation entitled “World War I and Arkansas” as the first in a series of educational events at Arkansas Tech University this fall commemorating World War I.

Foster’s lecture will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7, in room 300 south of Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center, which is located at 305 West Q Street in Russellville.

Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center is one of 120 organizations in the United States selected to receive grant funding from the Library of America in support of educational programming about World War I.

The public programming coincides with the 100th anniversary of U.S. entry into World War I. Through the first two rounds of grant announcements, ATU is the only entity in Arkansas selected to receive the Library of America grant funding for the program.

A traveling exhibition that provides an overview of America’s role in World War I will be on display at Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center from Sept. 5-25.

Additional ATU events as part of the program will include these presentations, all of which will begin at 7 p.m. in Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center room 300 south:

Thursday, Sept. 14
Dr. Jan Jenkins, ATU, “Propaganda and Persuasion”

Thursday, Sept. 28
Master Sgt. Lee Fields, retired, U.S. Army, “Ozarks to the Argonne Forest”

Thursday, Oct. 19
Dr. Stanley Lombardo, ATU, Reading from “WWI and America: Told by the Americans Who Lived It”

Thursday, Nov. 9
All Veterans Appreciation Event, Discussion Panel on Veterans’ Issues

All programs as part of the World War I commemoration are free and open to the public. For more information, call (479) 964-0569, send e-mail to lheffley@atu.edu or visit http://library.atu.edu.