Southeastern Louisiana University

Legendary chef Leah Chase headlines Women's History Month 2007

Contact: Christina Chapple

2/26/07

     HAMMOND – Leah Chase, New Orleans’ legendary “Queen of Creole Cuisine,” will headline Southeastern Louisiana University’s celebration of March as Women’s History Month.

     Chase, owner and chef extraordinaire of the Crescent City’s popular Dooky Chase restaurant, will speak on “Food and Community” March 29.

     Her lecture, scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on the third floor of Southeastern’s Sims Memorial Library, will be the finale of the month-long series that includes a seminar on communication skills for women and lunchtime lectures on topics ranging from heroines of the French Revolution and Auschwitz to the history of women’s undergarments.

     The preeminent chef in the Dooky Chase kitchen, Chase has established a reputation as one of the best purveyors of Creole cuisine in the nation, but has also distinguished herself as a community and civic leader through her dedicated involvement with numerous charities and organizations.

     Unless otherwise indicated, Women’s History Month events are free and will be held on the library’s third floor.

     ▪ Tuesday, March 6, 12:30 p.m.  – In “The French Revolution’s Greatest Heroine,” Katherine Kolb, a member of Southeastern’s foreign languages and literatures faculty, will introduce the remarkable life of Olympe de Gouges. One of many idealistic republicans beheaded during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, de Gouges’ “crime” was to demand liberty and equality for women as well as men -- and blacks as well as whites.

     ▪ Wednesday, March 7, noon – Southeastern associate professor of history Judith Fai-Podlipnik, who has extensively research and lectured on the Holocaust and is a specialist on Hungary in World War II, will present  “To Be a Woman in Auschwitz: Voices from a Tragic Past.”

     ▪ Tuesday, March 13, 12:30 p.m. – Mississippi State University communication professor Rebekah Ray will look at “Hodding, Hammond, Huey and Hoo-ey: Betty Werlein Carter and ‘The Hammond Daily Courier.’” Ray will discuss the many contributions of Carter, whose career as a journalist and public relations practitioner began in1932 when she worked side by side with her husband Hodding at the Hammond daily newspaper and campaigned against the populist tactics of Gov. Huey P. Long.

     ▪ Wednesday, March 14, noon – The Southeastern Center for Faculty Excellence’s monthly “Lyceum Lights” luncheon lecture series will feature Southeastern English professor Carole McAllister who topic, “The Stories Baskets Weave,” focuses on Native American literature and culture. Lyceum Lights is held at Twelve Oaks. Reservation may be made through March 12 by contacting the center at 985-549-5791 or center@selu.edu. The $5 luncheon charge is payable at the door.

     ▪ Wednesday, March 14, noon – The Southeastern Writing Center will host a presentation on “Biographical Writing” by Pat Brady, author of “Martha Washington: An American Life” and “George Washington’s Beautiful Nell.” Brady is president of the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival. The presentation will take place in the center, room 383, D Vickers Hall.

     ▪ Friday, March 16, 9 a.m.-noon – Southeastern’s Small Business Development Center joins the Women’s History Month schedule with “Women Speak: Communication Skills for Women in Business.” The seminar, designed to help women effective communicators, will be held at the Small Business Development Center, 1514 Martens Drive. The cost is $20, $10 for Chamber of Commerce members. Pre-registration is recommended by contacting the center at (985) 549-3831 or sbdc@selu.edu.

     ▪ Tuesday, March 20, 12:30 p.m. – In “A Brief History of Underpinnings,” Southeastern English professor Annabel Servat will take a lighthearted look at the history and evolution of women’s undergarments – including the fact that for many millenniums, they didn’t exist at all.

     ▪ Wednesday, March 21, noon – Southeastern political science professor Margaret Gonzalez-Perez will present “Reproduction and the State: Eugenics, Birth Control, and Policy,” illustrating the role of government policy in human reproduction and its effect on women. She will examine the origin of eugenics, or genetic engineering, and discuss how it coincided and conflicted with the birth control movement.

     ▪ Tuesday, March 27, 12:30 p.m. -- William B. Robison, head of Southeastern’s Department of History and Political Science, will explore the reasons behind the British music community’s antipathy toward a controversial prime minister in “Bashing Maggie: The British Pop Music War Against Margaret Thatcher.” He will provide musical examples of musical attacks by widely divergent performers such as the Clash, Elvis Costello, Jethrol Tull, Paul McCartney, and Sting.

     ▪ Wednesday, March 28, noon – Tulane University history professor Rachel Devlin will present “Teenage Girls and School Desegregation in the 1940s.” Devlin specializes in 20th century American history with a focus on father-daughter relations, and female adolescents and sexuality. Her book, “Relative Intimacy: Fathers, Adolescent Daughters and Postwar American Culture,” has received exceptional reviews from both the academic and general community.