WWI Traveling Exhibit for Arkansas Soldiers to Display
JONESBORO – “The Great War: Arkansas in World War I,” a free traveling exhibit that tells the story of Arkansas’s role during World War I at home and on the battle fields, will be displayed at the Dean B. Ellis Library at Arkansas State University, Monday through Wednesday, April 2-11.
The Great War: Arkansas in World War I — Photo courtesy of the Arkansas State Archives
This exhibit was created to commemorate the centennial anniversary of America’s entry into World War I and memorializes the impact this first modern global war had on the 65 million who were mobilized, including the 70,000 soldiers from Arkansas.
In addition to the traveling exhibit, the library will receive a Willow Oak tree from the Arkansas Forestry Commission to honor WWI veterans, which include those from Craighead County that served and died during the Great War. Northeast Arkansas Monument Company in Jonesboro is sponsoring a plaque commemorating the memorial tree.
The Arkansas World War I Centennial Commemoration Committee also provided soil from the Meuse-Argonne National Cemetery in France for a ceremony April 11.
To further support the exhibit, the Dean B. Ellis Library is offering free programs. Please call 870-972-3577 for details or visit libguides.AState.edu for a list of programs, speakers and locations.
This exhibit is funded in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council, the Department of Arkansas Heritage and the National Endowment for the Humanities. To learn more about Arkansas State Archives visit archives.arkansas.gov.
The Diversity Communication and Engagement Office at A-State is sponsoring the programs.
Calendar of Events:
| April 2, 2018 - April 12, 2018 |
Traveling Exhibit
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| April 2, 2018 2:00 - 3:00 pm |
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Lecture/Musical Performance"Fighting the Great War in Song"Dr. Michael B. Dougan, Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus, Arkansas State University. Perfect! War, anti-war, English (Blighty), French, German and even perhaps Italian and Russian songs. The presentation will focus on how songs influenced public opinion. A PowerPoint presentation based partly on the covers of sheet music accompanies the presentation. Fine Arts Auditorium |
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April 3, 2018 |
Lecture“Mame Steward Josenberger: A Black Woman Activist in World War I Arkansas"Cherisse Jones-Branch, PhD, Associate Professor of History, Arkansas State University Born in Owego, New York in 1868, Mame Stewart Josenberger moved to Arkansas in 1889 after graduating from Tennessee’s Fisk University in 1888. White River Room-Student Union |
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| April 3, 2018 5:45 - 6:45 pm |
Book Talk/SigningFaithful to Our Tasks: Arkansas’s Women and the Great WarArkansas based author/scholar will speak to the audience about the impact of World War I in this state from a variety of perspectives. She will speak about her book, Faithful to Our Tasks: Arkansas’s Women and the Great War (2017). She will speak based on some amazing findings from Arkansas’s archives. After the presentation, you will know why you should appreciate you grandmothers and great grandmothers’ contributions. Elizabeth Hill, Arkansas author White River Room-Student Union |
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April 10, 2018 |
Lecture:"Heaven, Hell or Home by Christmas: The Arkansas Great War Letter Project."Michael Polston, Staff Historian of the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture Dean B. Ellis Library 3rd floor |
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April 10, 2018 5:00 -6:00 pm
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Lecture:WWI- The 1,385 sons of Craighead County, ArkansasMr. William Danny Honnell, local author, reenactor, genealogist, and historian. Dean B. Ellis Library, 3rd floor |
| April 11, 2018 2:00 - 3:00 pm |
World War I Memorial Tree planting ceremonyThrough a partnership of the Arkansas World War I Centennial Commemoration Committee and the Arkansas Forestry Commission the Dean B. Ellis Library will receive a Willow Oak tree along with some soil from the Meuse-Argonne National Cemetery in France to be added when the tree is planted. to honor the 70, 000 Arkansans, which includes the 1,380 sons of Craighead County that served during the Great War and those that died while in service. There will be a WWI Memorial Plaque added beside the tree at a later date. Sponsored by Northeast Arkansas Monument Company of Jonesboro, Arkansas. 322 University Loop Circle |
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