SouthFirst Bank
Lecture Series/Winter 2012
Another Place--Another Time
Refreshments 11:00am - Program 12:00noon
Harry I. Brown Auditorium
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"Alabama's Mitcham Wars"
In the 1890's, a bloody episode in Clarke County left 10 people dead! The tensions between back country farmers who borrowed money to put in their cotton crops and merchant-leaders 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 Reta 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; and M.A. in creative writing from Hollins College; a Ph.D. in English from Vanderbilt University; 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 award-winning book, The Federal Road Through Georgia, the Creek Nation and Alabama. Brown--on faculty for twenty years at Auburn University--spent seven of those as had of the School of Journalism. In 1999, Brown went to the University of Montana as Dean of the School of Journalism. He is now retired and lives in North Carolina.
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 in general prompted Phil Koerper to do
in-depth studies of its sources. He has collected political cartoons,
pictures, editorials, comedian's lines, and memorabilia--a treasure trove
of information on all of the presidents. His Elderhostel and Interhostel
programs have entertained audiences with stories ranging from President
Washington to the present day President Obama. Focusing on presidents
from different eras of American history, he will show how the chronicle
of political humor has changed through the decades particularly with the
advent of the media with video cameras capturing their off the cuff
remarks, odd habits, mistaken choices of words, mannerisms and speech
inflections.
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 he enjoys the Sir Winston
topic. 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 and received his M.A. 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
the Birmingham's Shuttlesworth International Airport--features a
collection of aviation artifacts spanning the 20th century in the
various areas of aviation. It explores eight decades of winged history
with both military and civilian aircraft and is one of the largest
civilian aircraft museums in the southeast. Artifacts in the museum
include the Red Baron, the Tuskegee Airmen and numerous aviation
pioneers. The Museum hosts the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame with a
repository of historical documents concerning aviation as well as
plaques of the honorees exhibited on the upper level of the museum.
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 and commercial gyroplane
ratings. He has built, restored and flown a number of experimental and
classic aircraft. He has a B.S. from the University of Montevallo; and
M.D. from UAB; and a Ph.D from the University of Alabama.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 - Chris Carden:
"A History of Sylacauga's Thin Blue Line"
Sylacauga's Police Department has a colorful history filled with
memorable officers, exciting events, and heroic moments. Interim Police
Chief-Chris Carden-will share findings from many hours spent ferreting
out the threads of the SPD history. Using photographs, memorabilia and
great stories, he will chronicle almost one hundred years of separating
society from anarchy. The program will be entertaining as well as
educational with anecdotes that range from shoot outs at the local train
station to bank robbers armed with potatoes carved
into pistols.
Carden's family has a rich history with the Sylacauga Police Department.
His grandfather, Hubert "Babe" Carden, was with the SPD in the early
1930's and his father, Butch Carden, retired from the SPD after a career
of running emergency communications for the city. Interim Chief Carden
began his law enforcement career in 1989 with the United States Army
Military Police. He served in the first Gulf War and did his first
civilian law enforcement stint with the Talladega County Sheriff's
Department. He came to the Sylacauga Police Department in 1994, attended
the Northeast Alabama Police Academy at Jacksonville State University
and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. He has worked nearly every
post within the department. He is active in local and state professional
organizations related to this work.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - Chris Phillips
"Hear the People Sing: Voices & Melodies.....Peaks & Valleys"
Using songs from Broadway musicals, movie soundtracks and other
venues, Chris Phillips will talk about and illustrate the power of song.
Chris commented, "When efforts are made to weave words and melody
together, the resulting material might be compared to emotional
dynamite--a powerful substance capable of a strong, penetrating impact.
Victor Hugo is credited with having said: 'Music expresses that which
cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent'." Chris and
special guests will explore and sing their way through musical moments
that traverse the width and depth of our human experience. Perhaps you
will be inspired. Perhaps you will remember the past with greater
clarity or envision the future with greater purpose.
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.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - Harry Reeder, III:
"Lee and Leadership"
Robert E. Lee's leadership ability and his controversial
decision to remain true to his beloved Commonwealth of Virginia rather
than accepting President Lincoln's offer of the command of the Union
Army has been the subject of much historical study. He came to be known
as a brilliant strategist-"Grey Fox"- admired for his ability to defy
the odds and learn from his mistakes while retaining his sense of
civility, integrity and dignity. He earned the adoration of the South,
the admiration of the North and eventually the regard of the Western
World. Many modern day scholars regard his life as a model for anyone
who seeks to shoulder the responsibility of leading others.
Dr. Harry Reeder serves as senior pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian
Church. Reeder is a graduate of Covenant College, with a degree in
history and Bible. He holds a master of Divinity degree from Reformed
Theological Seminary. Reeder is knowledgeable about Robert E. Lee and
passionate about addressing the issue of leadership.
Wednesday, 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 award winning actress and
story performer whose work has been featured in 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 zadeco dancing.
Past Programs:
Potpourri -Spring 2001
Icons of the 20th Century - Fall
2002
Highlights for Seniors - Fall 2003
Sweet Home Alabama - Fall
2006
Alabama Past and Present - Winter Spring 2006
Out of Our Past - Fall 2007
The Way We Were - Winter 2007
New Perspectives - Looking at 20th - Century
Alabama Art 2007
Times Gone By - Winter 2008
Operation History
Winter/Spring 2009
Sylacauga Marble Festival 2009
It
Seems Like Only Yesterday Fall 2009
Telling
Our Stories Winter 2010
Once Upon a Time: Stories That Shaped Our Lives Fall 2010
Remembering the
Past Winter 2011
Memories Are Made of This Fall 2011