Hall Center to hold oral history workshop Feb. 28 at KU

LAWRENCE -- The Hall Center for the Humanities will hold "Learning to Hear the Stories IV: War and Modern Memory," a workshop on oral history and tradition, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 28 in the Kansas Union ballroom at the University of Kansas. Eight speakers will relate the experience and cultural effects of war through storytelling, oral history and group discussion.

The workshop, which includes lunch, is free and open to the public, but preregistration is required. To register, contact the Hall Center at hallcenter@ku.edu or (785) 864-7822 by Feb. 14.

Speakers at the event will include Audrey Galex and B.J. Abraham, whose presentation, "Tapestry: An Arab-Jewish Storytelling Dialogue," highlights the differences and similarities of both cultures through personal stories, folktales, poetry and music. Galex and Abraham have presented "Tapestry" to schools, synagogues, community groups and, most notably, at the National Storytelling Conference.

The contributions of the First Nations to the military will be the topic of Mike Tosee's lecture, "Native Americans in U.S. Wars." Tosee, a professor at Haskell Indian Nations University, documented the stories of veterans from Arizona and New Mexico to bring to life experiences and achievements that often are overlooked or underestimated.

William Tuttle, KU professor of American studies, will present "Pearl Harbor and 9-11: 'Flashbulb Memories,' Oral History and American Children's Lives in Wartime." Tuttle has written a number of books and articles about the social history of the United States during World War II and the Cold War, including "'Daddy's Gone to War': The Second World War in the Lives of America's Children" and "Rosie the Riveter and Her Latchkey Children: What Americans Can Learn about Child Day Care from the Second World War."

Richard Norton Smith, presidential historian and director of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at KU, will discuss the connections and struggles between war and politics in a group discussion on "War Stories and the Political Battlefield."

Lawrence resident Glen Kappelman spent WWII driving an armored car for the 106th Cavalry in France. Kappelman and Linda "Sam" Haskins will show and talk about "Through My Sights," a video made from the still photos Kappelman took during his tour of duty, in their discussion, "Visualizing the War." Haskins produced the film.

Alice Fowler and other members of the Black Women's Oral History Group will speak about their efforts to preserve the oral history of Lawrence minorities in "Langston's Lawrence: Remembering the Stories." They will present several stories about minority Lawrence residents who have been in war or been affected by war.

Another discussion group will center on John Musgrave, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam from 1967-68. Musgrave wrote "Under a Flare-lit Sky: Vietnam Poems." He will discuss "Vietnam and Its Aftermath."