Moments In Time Brown Bag Lecture Series Fall 2012

Wednesday, September 19, 2012 – Harvey H. (Hardy) Jackson
“The Rise and Decline of the Redneck Riviera”

Between Gulf Shores, Alabama and the Flora-Bama bar on the Florida line is the region sometimes called the Redneck Riviera.  Once populated by roadhouses and seafood joints, this storied strip now boasts upscale condominiums and gated communities with a more sophisticated and affluent clientele.  On reviewer said that Hardy Jackson’s book—The Rise and Decline of the Redneck Riviera— reflects the lessening availability of it to working man and his family as a place to do the things they couldn’t back home.  Author/scholar, Jerry E. Brown said, “Hardy’s breezy style is perfect to convey the ebbs and flows of this well-named section of the coast; his family has owned a place there nearly forever and he has experienced and observed the fortunes of that part of the panhandle through happy and hard times.”

Harvey H. (Hardy) Jackson, III grew up in Grove Hill, Alabama.  He is a graduate of Marion Military Institute, Birmingham Southern College, the University of Alabama, and the University of Georgia.  He has taught at universities in Florida and Georgia, and is currently Jacksonville State University Professor and Eminent Scholar in History.  Jackson is the author, co-author, or co-editor of thirteen books on various aspects of southern history; he writes a popular column for the Anniston Star/Daily Home on contemporary issues and southern culture.    

Wednesday, September 26, 2012 – Craig Turner Sheldon, Jr. 
“The Creek War of 1813-1814: The Beginning of Alabama”

The war between the Creek Indians of Alabama and the Americans has been overlooked as a significant event in the history of the United States.  Yet, without it, the history, folklore, state boundaries, and culture of Alabama and the southeastern United States would have been radically different.  The war opened Alabama to settlement by migrants from surrounding states and began the process of removing Indian groups.  Thirty years of archaeological and historic investigations have produce more accurate and complete pictures of 17^th and 18^th century Creek Culture.  This presentation will outline and discuss past and present research into the war.

Craig Turner Sheldon, Jr., Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Auburn-Montgomery is an archaeologist with research interests in the late prehistoric and early historic periods of the southeastern United States. Born in Fairhope, Alabama, he attended the University of Alabama where he received his BA.  At the University of Oregon where he earned his MA and PhD, he was a National Defense Education Act Fellow. He is a member of Phi Eta Sigma, Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi honor societies.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012 – General Charles “Chick” Cleveland with Warren A. Trest
“Mig Alley: The Fight for Air Superiority in Korea”

In Warren Trest’s upcoming biography, Once a Fighter Pilot, of General Cleveland, he states “The MiG-15s showed over the Yalu in late 1950.  Before the arrival of the USAF’s high performance F-86s, the Mig-15s had established air superiority and had free reign of the skies.  That’s why the Air Force bought the F-86s to counter them.  Two wings of F-86s were sent to the theater in late 1950 because it was the only aircraft on the friendly side of the Iron Curtain that could met the Mig-15 on equal or better terms.  Most of the fighter pilots wanted a shot at the MiGs, and they knew that their best chance at getting the enemy fighters in their gun sights would be from the cockpit of an F-86.  Int early 1952, 1^st Lt. Cleveland joined the 4^thFighter Interceptor Wing at Kimpo on the outskirts of Seoul.  He couldn’t wait to climb into the cockpit and take part in defense of South   Korea’s freedom.”

Warren Trest, former Air Force senior historian, has authored and coauthored more than fifty military histories and studies.  He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star medals as a U.S. Army combat reporter in the Korean War and the Medal for Civilian Service while serving as AF historian in Vietnam.  Trest will introduce General Cleveland who will tell his ‘fighter pilot’ story.  Cleveland was a Korean War fighter ace and former commander of Air University.  He is also president of the American Fighter Aces Association.   

 

Wednesday, October 10, 2012 – Ralph B. Draughon, Jr.
“Coach John Heisman: On Stage at Auburn, 1895-1899”

The celebrated John Heisman, who coached Auburn’s football team for five winning seasons from 1895 through 1899, at the same time trod the boards, off season, as a professional actor.  The college remembers Heisman for coaching football (and sometimes baseball), but his services to the muse of drama have been forgotten.  Besides delivering Shakespearean monologues to local audiences, he created and starred in, for two seasons, The A.P.I Dramatic Club, the first dramatic society ever on the Auburn Campus.  Ralph Draughon, Jr., describes Heisman’s lively theatrical presentations, and some repercussions on the football field in a lecture that emphasizes Heisman, the temperamental actor, rather than Heisman the (also temperamental) football coach.

 Ralph B. Daughon, Jr., has a Ph. D. in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  His dissertation was on Alabama secessionist, William Lowndes Yancy.  Draughon has worked with the Alabama Historical Commission and the Jules Collins Smity Museum of Fine Arts.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012 – Julie Hedgepeth Williams
“A Rare Titanic Family: The Caldwell’s Story of Survival”

Julie H. Williams helps mark the 100^th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic by telling the detailed story of the short life of the Titanic and the saga of the survival  on Lifeboat 13 of her great Uncle Albert, his wife Sylvia and their 10-month-old son, Alden. Williams’ account draws on firsthand accounts from Uncle Albert and extensive research to tell the fascinating story of the young family who were saved by what she calls “ a combination of luck, pluck, Albert’s outgoing nature, Sylvia’s illness and Alden’s helplessness.   The trip is only part of the bigger nightmare for the Caldwells.  They were Presbyterian missionaries in Bangkok, Siam who were on a desperate journey to save Sylvia’s health, but fellow missionaries accused them of plotting to renege on their contract and though they survived the trip on the Titanic, they never got out from under the shadow  the ship cast over them.

Julie Hedgepeth Williams is a journalism professor at Samford University. She received a BA in English and history from Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, and a master’s in journalism and a PhD in mass communications from the University of Alabama.   Williams is also the author of Wings of Opportunity: The Wright Brothers in Montgomery, 1910.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012 – Donna Cox Baker
“Alabama Heritage: Exploring Our States History – One Article at a Time”
For over a quarter of a century, Alabama’s state-based magazine, Alabama Heritage, has been telling our stories through articles filled with warm and informative writing intertwined with outstanding photographs and illustrations. The quarterly publication has been an excellent reflection on the State of Alabama and the South with its lively, colorful articles about the fascinating people, places and events that have shaped thehistory of the state as well as the South. Awards have been given to AH for best writing about the environment, shocasing the plight of historice places, and for the authentic coverage of every period in the diverse and complex history of our state. A vast network of people creates the stories and keeps the magazine thriving. Baker will take the audience behind the scenes to see the past and the present as well as a glimpse into the future of this gem of a magazine.

Donna Cox Baker, Editor-in-Chief of Alabama Heritage magazine, holds degrees from Auburn University, UAB, and is working on a PhD in history at the University of Alabama. She served as managing editor at UAB of the Vulcan Historical Review which became the top student journal in the nation under her leadership. She has taught history as an adjunct instructor at the University of Alabama in Birmingham and at the University of Alabama. The Alabama Heritage is published in Tuscaloosa by the University of Alabama, UAB, and the Alabama Department of Archives and History. 

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 – Ben Severance
“Portraits of Conflict: A Pphotographic History of Alabama in the Civil War”

Ben Severance compiled over 230 rare photographs of Alabamians during the Civil War for his latest book – a volume in the “Portraits of Conflict” series. The author pointed to Alabama as unusual amond the Rebel states in that, while its people saw little fighting inside its boundaries, nearly one hundred thousand Alabamians served with Confederate units throughout the South. Severance used photographs to chronicle confederate experineces in almost every battle east of the Mississippi River – Sharpsburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga and at the famous siege of Vicksburg. Ultimately, Union soldiers did invade the state, and Alabamians defended their homeland.  Severance will draw on a sample of his photographs, explain the selection process, place each individual in his/her historical context, and demonstrate the value of using photographs to depict the literal face of war.
Ben H. Severance is an associate professor of history at Auburn University Montgomery and a former officer in the United States Army. He is the author of Tennessee’s Radical Army: The State Guard and its’ Role in Reconstruction, 1867-1869.

 Wednesday, November 7, 2012 – Dolores Hydock
“Abundant Blessings: Stories for the thanksgiving Season”
Just in time for the Thanksgiving season, gifited story teller, Dolores Hydock, will tell stories to bring back memories and to whet appetites for that special tiem of the year. Dolores said, “What does pumpkin pie have to do with just desserts? And what does Thanksgiving have to do with going fishing? Find out these stories of sibling rivalry, sweet potato casserole, sudden diaster, and the amazing gift of realizing just how much there is to be thankful for.” Don’t miss Dolores as she dishes out tales cooked up just of this Thanksgiving special!
Hydockm, originally from Pennsylvania, is an actress and story performer whose work has been featured in a variety of concerts, festivals, and special events throughout the United States. She is a touring artist for the Alabama State Council on the Arts, a speaker with the Alabama Humanities Foundation, and a member of the Southern Order of Storytelles. Dolores lives in Birmingham, Alabama, and in her spare time, teaches Cajun and zadeco dancing. She is a great favorite with the brown bag lecture audience and her entertaining and thought-provoking stories will eeave them wating more of the same!