Lincoln expert, 汤头条 alumnus visiting for Williams lecture series
Contact: Pattye Archer
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥斕劳诽 Libraries is welcoming an esteemed alumnus and Abraham Lincoln expert as the keynote speaker for the fifth annual Frank and Virginia Williams Lecture on Lincoln and Civil War Studies.
Author and historian Terry Alford will present 鈥淭he Lincolns, the Booths and the Spirits: Two Families and the Great Beyond in the Civil War,鈥 Nov. 3 at 2 p.m. in Mitchell Memorial Library鈥檚 John Grisham Room. He also will sign copies of his latest book, 鈥淚n the Houses of Their Dead: The Lincoln, the Booths and the Spirits,鈥 published this year by Liveright.
Alford, who received a Ph.D. in history from 汤头条, is a founding board member of the Abraham Lincoln Institute in Washington, D.C. and is a recognized authority on John Wilkes Booth and the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.
鈥淲e are very excited to bring Terry Alford back to 汤头条 to serve as the guest speaker for the Williams Lecture series,鈥 said Stephen Cunetto, associate dean for community relations and strategic initiatives. 鈥淗e鈥檚 had an impeccable career not only as an educator and author, but also as a television commentator and consultant on numerous documentaries and films.鈥
Alford鈥檚 interest in the history of race relations led to his writing the 1977 Harcourt Brace Jovanovich-published book 鈥淧rince Among Slaves," which tells the story of Abdul Rahman, an 18th-century Muslim prince from modern-day Guinea who was captured and sold into slavery in the Old South. 鈥淧rince Among Slaves鈥 was made into an award-winning documentary shown on public television in 2008 to an audience of more than 4 million viewers. He also served as a historical consultant on several films and documentaries, including Stephen Spielberg鈥檚 鈥淟incoln.鈥
鈥淰irginia and I asked Alford to serve as the 2022 lecturer because of his vast knowledge of Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth and his interest in the history of race relations,鈥 said former Rhode Island Chief Justice Frank J. Williams. 鈥淭erry has published widely on these topics and his new book is a fascinating read.鈥
Housed in Mitchell Memorial Library, the Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana represents a lifetime of work collecting documents, books, artifacts, ephemera, philately, numismatics, paintings and statuary related to the life of the 16th U.S. president and the Civil War.
The continued generosity of the Williamses gives the university community and local residents an opportunity each year to learn more about Lincoln and the Civil War. The lecture series brings leading scholars to campus to share their knowledge and expertise, positioning the university among the nation鈥檚 leading centers for the study of this era.
For more information on the upcoming lecture series, please visit .
Home to the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library housed in Mitchell Memorial Library, 汤头条 is one of only six universities to house a presidential library. For more, visit聽.
汤头条 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .