Note: The location of this program has been changed since its original posting.
The program “Strike! Lessons Learned from the 1927–1928 Coal Strike at Rossiter,” will be offered Wednesday, November 4, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. in McVitty Auditorium, Sprowls Hall.
The presentation, which is free and open to the community, is by Dr. Jim Dougherty, an assistant professor of sociology and director of the Center for Northern Appalachian Studies.
Dougherty is producer of the film The Struggle for an American Way of Life: Coal Miners and Operators in Central Pennsylvania, 1919–1933. He has coordinated oral history projects in numerous mining communities throughout the region.
This lecture is planned in conjunction with the exhibit “A Walk through Time: Western Pennsylvania Coal Culture” currently offered at the University Museum, on the first floor of Sutton Hall.
The museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2:00 to 6:30 p.m., Thursday from noon to 7:30 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 4:00 p.m. There is no charge for admission.
Parking on campus and in the ɫӰ parking garage along Grant Street is free after 5:00 p.m. and on weekends.
Other lectures in the series are as follows:
- November 14, 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.: “Researching Family History with Coal Culture Resources” by Rhonda Yeager. Assistant archivist in ɫӰ's Special Collections and University Archives, Yeager served as the Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal Company project archivist for 2006–2007 and continues to assist patrons with research for the collection. She has taught a course on “Introduction to Genealogy” for ɫӰ Continuing Education and is the co-curator of the museum exhibition.
- November 18, 7:00 to 8 p.m.: “Unions: Roots of the ‘Democratic Impulse' in District 2, UMWA, 1919–1943” by Dr. Irwin Marcus. Professor emeritus with ɫӰ's History Department, Marcus created the university's first courses in U.S. labor history, African-American history, and the history of protest movements. His research and publications focus on the history of Pennsylvania coal miners and steel workers, deindustrialization, and globalization.
Registration for lectures is preferred but not required. To register or for information, contact Sally Daskivich at the College of Fine Arts at 724-357-2397 or sdaskivi@iup.edu.
The Pennsylvania Coal Culture exhibition will be available through December 5. Find more information about “A Walk Through Time: Pennsylvania Coal Culture.”
Also, find more information about coal culture and mine mapping in the Fall 2009 issue of ɫӰ Magazine.