The Great War 

Presidential Library, Lincoln Land Community College Schedule World War I Lecture Series, Bus Trip

[February 11, 2008]  SPRINGFIELD -- A series of lectures about the Great War and a trip to the national World War I Museum have been announced by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield. The events coincide with the presidential library's ongoing "The Art of War" poster exhibit and Lincoln Land's World War I trench exhibit and commemoration of the 90th anniversary of America's April 6, 1917, entry into World War I.

The lectures are free and open to the public, and no advance reservations are required. The bus trip to the World War I Museum in Kansas City requires paid reservations. The scheduled lectures include:

"The Tragic Trigger: Background to World War I," presented by presidential library historian Mark DePue on Feb. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.

"War in the Trenches: The Tactics of World War I," presented by Lincoln Land professor Chris McDonald on Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. at Lincoln Land Community College's Trutter Center.

"The Dreadful Shadow: The Legacy of World War I," presented by DePue on March 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the presidential library.

The bus trip to Kansas City is scheduled for March 7-8 and includes tours of the National World War I Museum, the Truman Presidential Library and the Harry S. Truman Home. The bus will depart from the Springfield J.C. Penney parking lot on Dirksen Parkway at 6:30 a.m. on Friday and return late Saturday evening.

The cost is $189 per person and includes round-trip transportation, hotel accommodations, four meals and admission to all museums, lectures and exhibits. The deadline to register is Feb. 29 and space is limited to 53 participants. Register by calling Lincoln Land at 217-786-2292 and enroll in CEW-120-X01.

In addition, the lecture "American Entry into the War" will be presented by DePue at the museum as part of the trip. Participants may also attend a second presentation at the museum by Dr. Frank N. Schubert of Washington, D.C., on "Remembering the Buffalo Soldier: Memorials to Black Soldiers."

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library's temporary exhibit "The Art of War: Posters in World Conflict" features 195 original posters from the library's collections and is open for free public viewing seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Memorial Day, May 26. The exhibit will also be viewed before and after the Feb. 19 and March 11 lectures.

[Text from Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum news release received from the Illinois Office of Communication and Information]