Roger Launius to present lectures at Southeastern
Contact: Tonya Lowentritt
10/29/10
HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University’s Department of History and Political Science will present Roger Launius, author of numerous books on space exploration, baseball and Mormon history and curator of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum, in two lectures and a teacher’s workshop scheduled in November.
“Roger Launius, an old friend going back to our days in graduate school at LSU, is an incredibly talented and prolific historian,” said Bill Robison, head of the Department of History and Political Science. “He has published extensively in three very different fields: he is an expert on Mormon history, has written two excellent books on baseball, and has a whole collection of books on the American space program. He also is an extremely engaging speaker, and we are fortunate to have him on campus for three different events.”
A Veteran’s Day lecture is scheduled Thursday, Nov. 11, in the Student Union Theatre at 11 a.m. The former Chief Historian of NASA will present “Our Shared Dependency on Space: National Security, Commerce and Exploration.” A book signing will follow.
On Friday, Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. in the Student Union Theatre, Launius will present “Capricious, Careless, Conniving and Clever: The Enigma of Charles O. Finley.” Co-author of “Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball’s Super Showman,” Launius will sign books immediately following the lecture.
The teacher’s workshop, scheduled Nov. 13 at Southeastern’s Fayard Hall, is funded through the U.S. Department of Education Teaching American History (TAH) grant awarded to the Tangipahoa Parish School District in partnership with Southeastern.
The workshop will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Fayard Hall Rm. 101, located at 1205 North Oak St. in Hammond. TAH Project Director Cynthia Trappey said the sessions will provide K-12 social studies teachers with knowledge concerning two American dreams: space flight and baseball. Teachers will also be exposed to new innovative teaching methods and techniques.
Participating teachers will earn six hours of continuing learning units (CLUs) and a $65 stipend. Priority will be given to American and Louisiana history teachers, but others are welcome to apply.
The workshop will feature five sessions:
– “Our Shared Dependency on Space: National Security, Commerce, and Exploration,” 8:30-10 a.m., presented by Launius.
– “Capricious, Careless, Conniving, and Clever: The Enigma of Charles O. Finley,” 10:15-11:45 a.m., presented by Launius.
– Lunch, book signing, and informal discussion with Launius,” 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m.
– “Roundtable Discussion,” 1-2 p.m., Launius and Robison.
–“Teacher Tricks,” 2-3 p.m., Trappey and associates.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
To register for the workshop or for more information on the TAH Grant, contact Trappey at Cynthia.Trappey@tangischools.org, 985-748-2443 (phone) or 985-748-2445 (fax).
For more information about the lecture, contact Robison at (985) 549-2109.
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