Weis to Speak Sept. 29 on Adams and Origins of American Democracy

History Professor W. Michael Weis of Illinois Wesleyan University will speak on "John Adams and the Origins of American Diplomacy" at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, in Ames Library's Beckman Auditorium on the IWU campus.  The talk is part of a lecture series offered in conjunction with the "John Adams Unbound" traveling panel exhibit being shown at Milner Library through Oct. 16. 

Admission to Weis' lecture and to the exhibit is free and open to the public.

A graduate of Ohio State University, Weis has taught at Illinois Wesleyan since 1988.  He specializes in U.S. foreign relations, recent U.S. history and Latin American history with a special interest in Brazil.  He is the author of "Cold Warriors and Coups d'Etat: Brazilian American Relations, 1945-1964" and more than a dozen articles on U.S.-Latin American relations. Currently he is working on the impact of rock music on globalization, as well as the history of the inter-American system.

Weis has been recognized with both the Student Senate's "Teacher of the Year" award and the University's DuPont Teaching Award.

 The final lecture of the series will be presented by Eureka College's Junius Rodriguez at 7:30 p.m. in the Gammon Room of Melick Library at Eureka College.

"John Adams Unbound" is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.  The panel exhibit focuses on Adams' 3,500-volume personal library that his family donated in 1894 to the Boston Public Library.