PROGRAMS AND WORKSHOPS

PROGRAM FOR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

"Civil War Site - Ft. Duffield, West Point, Kentucky" Presented by Monie Matthews
Monie Matthews has been working with the Fort Duffield heritage Committee since 1993 in various capacities. He has helped in preservation, implementation, maintenance, and research during this tenure. He has completed three works about the site and is in the process of writing two more. Mr. Matthews has a Masters in Education and has taught in Jefferson County for 12 years in Elementary positions.

The presentation will be an overview of the physical layout of the site. Mr. Matthews will explain the necessity of the site early in the war. He will also describe camp life and conditions they endured that fall and winter of 1861-1862. There will be a mention of some the men there and their prominence. He will conclude with the tourist interest of the site in recent years.

PROGRAM FOR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14

"Lincoln & Clark - Kings, Kin & Kentucky Pioneers" presented by George E. Meyers

Born in Hardin County, Kentucky, George E. Meyers is better known to LGS members as Earl. He has BS and MA degrees and has done post graduate work in Industrial Education and Administration at WKU. Having been with Jefferson County Schools for over 25 years, Earls finds time for carpentry, basketball, marathon running, acting, singing, songwriting, mentoring and coaching. He is a member and past president of LGS as well as a member of The Magna Charta Barons, First Families of Kentucky, the Plantagenet Society, BCGS, KHS, Hardin County Historical Society, Hardin Co. History Museum, KSSAR and Historian for the Ancestral Trails Historical Society. Earl’s published works include Louisville Music News, “Earl’s Pearls” articles; LGS “Family History Contest” winner; LEO, “Twelve Month Marathon Preparation Plan”; 2 Children Song Albums, “Earl & the Girls”, LASC National Song Contest Winner among others.

Earl will be telling us about his latest endeavor. For the past ten years, he has read several hundred books, recorded more than a hundred interviews and made more than a hundred historical site visits for photos and site data. All this to be able to write one of the most simplistic, interesting and educational books on family history and genealogy ever written. He hopes to have it in print in time for our Seminar. The title – “Lincoln & Clark – Kings, Kin & Kentucky Pioneers.”

PROGRAM FOR TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11

"12th United States Colored Heavy Artillery." presented by Robert Bell

Robert Bell is a living historian and charter member of the 12th United States Colored Heavy Artillery. Formed in 2001, the 12th USCHA serves as the educational outreach arm of the Camp Nelson Heritage Foundation. He is a Life Member of Camp Nelson Heritage Foundation and a current board member. Camp Nelson Heritage Foundation is charged with the oversight and interpretation of over 500 acres of the original Civil War site.
Mr. Bell is a charter member and vice-president of the United States Colored Troops Living History Association (USCTLHA), a national group dedicated to the preservation and presentation of the history of the African-American men that served during the Civil War.
He is a native of Louisville and recently retired as Quality Manager for DuPont Performance Elastomers. He has presented talks on the role of Kentucky’s United States Colored Troops to elementary, middle, and high school students, several colleges and to the general public in various venues.

His presentation will focus on Peter Bruner, an escaped slave and a member of the original 12th USCHA. He will provide details on Peter Bruner’s life as a slave, numerous attempts to escape, life as a soldier, and his life after leaving the army. An overview of the importance of Camp Nelson and Kentucky’s Civil War African-American regiments will also be presented.

PROGRAM FOR TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9

"Keeping in Touch: The History of Holiday Greeting Cards." presented by Dr. Donna M. Elkins

Dr. Donna M. Elkins is an associate professor and department head of communication at Jefferson Community and Technical College, SW campus. In March of 2005, she completed her PhD in Communication at the University of Kentucky. Her MA and BA are from Morehead State University. Elkins has taught at UK, Eastern Kentucky University, Lexington Community College and worked for over seven years at Maysville Community College in adult learning and Institutional Research. She is a native of Kentucky and now resides in Louisville with her husband, Douglas, and three very pampered felines.

Sending holiday greeting cards has been a tradition for well over two hundred years. These cards can bring wishes of joy, health, and love to friends and relatives, some of whom we may not see or communicate with at any other time during the year. Keeping in Touch delves into the history of sending holiday cards, what led to the advent of Christmas greeting cards, and how sending cards has changed over the years yet continued as a part of so many holiday celebrations.

WORKSHOP FOR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
Lynn Renau will share her research for writing the history of the 2008 Bellarmine University Show House. Through this presentation, she will demonstrate the importance of combining historical and genealogical research to produce a factual and interesting story.

She graduated from U of L with a BA in History and Master of Social Service Work from the Kent School of Social Work.

All regular meetings are at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on the corner of Linn Station Road and Hurstbourne Parkway in Louisville, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.  Caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol are not permitted on the premises.