
Wednesday, January 18, 2012-Jerry E. Brown:
“Alabama’s Mitcham Wars”
n the 1890s, a bloody episode in Clarke County left 10 people dead! The tensions between backcountry farmers who borrowed money to put in their cotton crops and merchant-lenders who took advantage of the crop-lien system erupted into “the Mitcham War.” The conflict—a gang of local ruffians pitted against a mob of equally lawless vigilantes— has never been written about before by anyone so close as Jerry Elijah Brown and never from the victim’s point of view. Brown, the youngest of 14 children raised on a farm in Clarke County, found out that his paternal grandfather, Lee Brown, had been arrested, jailed and tried for murder after his beloved Papa had been dead for forty years. Harper Lee calls the book “the best to come out of Alabama since To Kill a Mockingbird” and Rheta Grimsley Johnson said, “It’s the lovely language of this book that I’ll remember longest.”
Jerry Brown earned a B.A. in journalism from Auburn University; an M. A. in creative writing from Hollins College; a Ph. D. in English from Vanderbilt University in 1974; and completed postdoctoral studies of American autobiography at Dartmouth College. Brown has a critical biography of Roy Blount, Jr. to his credit as well as the co-authorship of the

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 – Phil Koerper:
“Humor at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: The Wit and Wisdom of Our Presidents”
The undying interest of the American people in Presidential humor and political humor
Dr. Koerper is no stranger to Comer Library’s brown bag lectures. He has delighted audiences with stories of Winston Churchill several times, and he loves presidential humor ‘almost as much as Sir Winston.’ Koerper has taught at Jacksonville State University since 1969; has a Ph. D. from the University of Georgia; and has studied Modern Britain, the Age of Churchill and English History.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 – Ed Bridges:
“America’s Guest: LaFayette’s Tour of Alabama”
Dr. Edwin Bridges—Director of the Alabama Department of Archives & History—describes the Marquis De Lafayette’s tour of Alabama as “an unprecedented spectacle!” He said, “LaFayette’s triumphal return visit to the United States, forty years after the end of the American Revolution, became the stuff of legends; he continues to be America’s great friend in France. The celebration was probably the longest, most enthusiastic and grandest celebration in American history. Hardened men were overcome with emotion. People traveled for days to join the spectacle. The State of Alabama depleted its treasury.” Dr. Bridges grew up in Bainbridge, Georgia. He graduated from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, received his M. and Ph. D. in history from the University of Chicago. He taught history at Georgia Tech before joining the staff of the Georgia Department of Archives and History in 1976 where he served as assistant director for 6 years. He came to the AL Dept. of Archives and History in 1982 as the fifth director in more than 100 years! Bridges is active in national and state archival and historical organizations.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 – James T. Griffin:
“Alabama’s Southern Museum of Flight: An Archive of Winged History”
The Southern Museum of Flight—an aviation museum located near
Dr. James (Jim) Griffin—who has directed the Southern Museum of Flight for six years—will use photographs and lecture to bring the story of this unique collection of artifacts. Aviation has been an important part of his life for many years. He completed the United States Air Force Museum School and Orientation Course in Dayton, Ohio. He holds commercial fixed wing, commercial helicopter

Wednesday, February 15, 2012 – Chris Carden:
“A History of Sylacauga’s Thin Blue Line.”
Sylacauga’s Police Department has a colorful
Carden’s family has a rich history with the

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 – Chris Phillips:
“Hear the People Sing: Voices & Melodies…….Peaks & Valleys”
Using songs from Broadway musicals, movie soundtracks
Chris is the Minister of Worship & Arts at First United Methodist Church. He attended Samford University where he pursued church music in undergraduate studies and music education as a graduate student.

February 29, 2012 – Harry Reeder, III:
“Lee and Leadership”
Commonwealth of Virginia rather
Dr.Harry Reeder serves as senior pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church. Reeder is a graduate of Covenant College

March 7, 2012 – Dolores Hydock:
“Novel Destinations: Stories of Side Trips and Speed Bumps”
Come for a ride of the imagination through another place and another time with stories of wanderlust
and the wide-open road. In one story, two women find a startling surprise hidden in the hills of Rome.
In another, travelers share secrets on a Spanish train. The final story takes a curious route back home.
Hear these tales as only Dolores can tell them! Hydock, originally from Pennsylvania,
is an
concerts and festivals throughout the United States. She serves as a touring artist
for the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the Alabama Humanities Foundation.
Dolores lives in Birmingham, Alabama and in her spare time, teaches Cajun and
zydeco dancing.
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