First Sunday Lecture Series

The News from Cherokee Country:
Elias Boudinot, and the Cherokee Phoenix, 1828-1839
Sunday, January 8, 2017 (2nd Sunday)
3:00 pm
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Speaker: Dr. George R. Lamplugh

Dr. Lamplugh looks at the Cherokee removal controversy in Georgia through the eyes of Mr. Boudinot and the columns of the Cherokee Phoenix, the newspaper he founded and edited for most of its existence at the behest of Principal Chief John Ross and the Cherokee National Council.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION
  

First Sunday Lecture Series

A Brief History of the Temperance and Prohibition
Movements in Cobb County and Vicinity
Sunday, February 5, 2017
3:00 pm
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Speaker: Dr. William P. Marchione, author of A Brief History of Smyrna, Georgia

Local historian Dr. William P. Marchione, Ph.D. will present a slide show and lecture on the history of Temperance and Prohibition in the Cobb County area. Georgia was the very first state to embrace prohibition in the 20th century, doing so in 1908 a decade ahead of the 18th amendment; and Cobb County strongly supported the initiative. This lecture will examine the interplay of cultural, economic, religious, and political forces that made the anti-liquor crusade the most sustained controversy in the area's political history. It will also discuss bootlegging and speakeasy operations in the area. This is a topic that has been largely neglected by Cobb County historians. This lecture will offer a possible explanation as to why this topic has received such scant attention.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION.
 

First Sunday Lecture Series

New Photographic Acquisitions:
The SACC History Committee Historical Images Project
Sunday, March 5, 2017
3:00 pm
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Speaker: Dr. William Marchione, historian and Charles Stannard, photographer

The History Committee of the Smyrna Arts & Cultural Council (SACC), has been at work for several months now assembled a huge collection of previously untapped historical images, mostly drawn from the pages of the old Smyrna Herald and Smyrna Neighbor, weekly newspapers published between 1962 and 1994, and from other sources as well. These photos are being deposited in a topically organized historical file that already contains about 1500 images. The more than 100 new images in the upcoming show will be organized around 16 themes in local history. This, it is hoped, will be the first of a series of such programs. The program will be narrated by local historian Bill Marchione and photographer Charlie Stannard. The History Committee encourages audience input.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION.
 

First Sunday Lecture Series

FDR in Georgia
Sunday, April 2, 2017
3:00 pm
Smyrna Public Library
Downstairs Meeting Room

Speaker: Kaye Lanning Minchew, author of A President in Our Midst: FDR in Georgia

Despite the fact that Franklin Roosevelt visited Georgia 41 times between 1924 and 1945, historians have paid little attention to the significance of the time the 32nd President of the U.S. spent in the Peach State. Georgia helped restore his sense of well-being after contracting polio and provided a launching pad for his Presidential campaigns. Here, the Harvard graduate became friends with common men, had his active lifestyle of hunting and fishing photographed by the national press and fought with local politicians. Sadly he died here in 1945. Through images, audio and video clips, and oral histories, Kaye Minchew explores this fascinating chapter of Georgia and America’s history.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION.

First Sunday Lecture Series

History of Cobb County
Sunday, May 7, 2017
3:00 pm
Smyrna Public Library
Downstairs Meeting Room

Speaker: Christa McCay, Marietta Museum of History

Don’t know much about Cobb County’s history? Come and learn about the founding of our county, the cities, the people and landmarks. In this discussion, we will explore our local history in a fun and informative way. All we request from you is to ask questions and be ready to travel around Cobb without leaving the library.

Christa McCay is the Registrar at the Marietta Museum of History and Aviation Wing. Over that past 12 years she has overseen the growth of the Museum’s collection, which is comprised of over 35,000 artifacts dating from the late 18th century to present day. She is a graduate of Georgia State University with a Bachelor’s degree in History and a Master’s degree in Heritage Preservation.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library

FREE ADMISSION.

First Sunday Lecture Series

The Classic Ranch House: Midcentury Architectural Design
Sunday, June 4, 2017
3:00 pm
Smyrna Public Library
Downstairs Meeting Room

Speaker: Amber Rhea, Georgia Department of Transportation

This presentation will provide an overview of midcentury residential architecture, with a focus on the Ranch House. Interior and exterior architectural features will be discussed, as well as the social context in which Ranch Houses became popular. Gain a deeper understanding of why Ranch Houses are important to our cultural heritage and worthy of preservation, and how the Georgia Department of Transportation is working to identify and document them.

Speaker Biography:
Amber is an Architectural Historian with the Georgia Department of Transportation and also serves on the DeKalb County Historic Preservation Commission. She received her Master's degree in Heritage Preservation from Georgia State University.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library

First Sunday Lecture Series

Parks & Trails of Smyrna
Sunday, July 9, 2017
3:00 pm
Downstairs Meeting Room

Speaker: Richard Garland, Director of Parks & Recreation, City of Smyrna

Mr. Garland will provide an overview of Smyrna's outdoor amenities, highlighting hidden gems and discussing improvement plans currently underway.

Speaker Biography:
Richard Garland joined the City of Smyrna in late 2016. He previously served as executive director of the Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Authority and has 25 years experience working in recreation.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION.

First Sunday Lecture Series

The Great American Eclipse
Sunday, August 6, 2017
3:00 pm
Downstairs Meeting Room

Speaker: April Whitt, Astronomer, Fernbank Science Center

A total solar eclipse last cross the continental United States in 1918. In August 2017, we get the chance to watch the celestial dance, as the Moon moves in front of the Sun, and we can observe one of the most breath-taking events in the sky. Here's a short introduction to how eclipses work, some famous eclipses in history, and information about safely observing on August 21.

Speaker Biography:

April Whitt has served as astronomy instructor at Fernbank Science Center since 1994. Her graduate work as a Morehead Fellow in Planetarium Administration at UNC Chapel Hill furthered her love of sharing the night sky with students, teachers and the general public. From Chapel Hill, she and her husband moved to Princeton, New Jersey, where April worked with Dr. Gerard K. O’Neill at the Space Studies Institute. In 1983, a dream opportunity came true when she joined the astronomy staff at Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Illinois. Organizing events for the Voyager fly-by of Uranus and Neptune, and the excitement of Comet Halley, were highlights. The Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica (CARA) students were a challenge and a joy during summer camps at Yerkes Observatory in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and led to a short stint at the South Pole over Christmas 1993. April has served as Educator Fellow with NASA’s MESSENGER mission to the planet Mercury, the New Horizons fly-by of Pluto, and most recently as Airborne Astronomy Ambassador with NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). She edits two columns for the quarterly journal of the International Planetarium Society, and contributes to newsletters for three regional planetarium associations.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION.

First Sunday Lecture Series

Food History of the South
a "SMYRNA READS / SMYRNA EATS!" event
Sunday, September 10, 2017
3:00 pm
Downstairs Meeting Room

Speaker: Terri Carter, Cobb County Extension, Family and Consumer Science

Ms Carter will trace the foods that we call Southern, soul, country and comfort foods back to their roots. This extraordinary journey back into the history of our Southern food heritage is a look back in time and it traces the seeds back to their origins.

Speaker Biography:
Terri Carter is a Cobb Master Gardener and program assistant in the Family and Consumer Science Department for the University of Georgia Cobb County Extension. She is also a graduate of HABESHA Inc., an urban gardening training program. She graduated as the top female student in the 2014 class of HABESHA. She went on to establish herself as a food demonstrator at the Mableton Farmers Market and became the garden coordinator at Historic Mableton Community Garden. She also works closely with the Reconnecting Our Roots Community Garden downtown Marietta as well as the Austell Community Garden.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION.

First Sunday Lecture Series

The Perils of Partisanship: Georgia Politics, 1789-1845
Sunday, October 8, 2017
3:00 pm
Downstairs Meeting Room

Speaker: Dr. George Lamplugh, historian and author

Political parties developed in Georgia in strikingly different ways than in other states. In fact, political parties in Georgia didn't carry the names of national parties for more than half a century after the nation's first parties, the Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans, were created in Congress in the early 1790s. How and why political parties evolved the way they did in Georgia is a fascinating story. Dr. Lamplugh will explore some of the key issues involved in the process, e.g., the Yazoo Land Fraud; the strong, violent personalities of Georgia's first party builders; Nullification; and the polarizing personality of President Andrew Jackson.

Speaker Biography:
Dr. Lamplugh is the author of Rancorous Enmities and Blind Partialities: Factions and Parties in Georgia, 1807-1845.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION

First Sunday Lecture Series

Documentary Film Screening
World History: World War I
Sunday, November 5, 2017
3:00 pm
Downstairs Meeting Room

Moderator: Dr. William Marchione

This documentary film screening will introduce participants to the basic context and history of World War I. Dr. Marchione will provide a Q&A after the film and will present a full lecture on WWI the following Sunday on November 12.

DOCUMENTARY DESCRIPTION:
It is called by many names: The Great War, The War To End All Wars, World War I. The conflict that engulfed the world between 1914 and 1918 left an indelible mark on the 20th century and shaped the world in which we live today. In this informative program, you will learn about the tumultuous events that led to World War I, the nations that were drawn into the conflict, the Russian Revolution and the rise of communism, how the submarine and airplane altered the nature of combat and more.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION

First Sunday Lecture Series

The Transformational Consequences of World War I
Sunday, November 12, 2017
3:00 pm
Downstairs Meeting Room

Speaker: Dr. William Marchione

2017 is the centennial anniversary of America's entrance into "The Great War." In a lecture and slide presentation, Dr. Marchione will examine the consequences of World War I. Its transformative effects include the human and material damage, the Russian Revolution, the collapse of imperial dynasties, American isolationism, the onset of the Great Depression. In little more than a decade Europe and the world at large found itself on the road to a second devastating conflict.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION

Special Event
Takes The Place of December First Sunday Lecture

Holiday Celebration with the Friends of the Smyrna Library

Saturday, December 9, 2017
6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Smyrna Public Library

The Friends of the Smyrna Library cordially invite you to get into the holiday spirit. Join us for a Holiday Celebration with the Ffriends of the Smyrna Library! Come out and enjoy an evening of light deserts & refreshments, great gifts, stocking stuffers and caroling with the Pebblebrook High School Singers. Festive attire, please!