Illinois State University Schedules Spring Speaker Series

Illinois State University’s Spring Speaker Series will feature presentations on the Titanic, the catastrophic New York 1896 heat wave, the death and life of the American school system, lessons for life and career, McLean County baseball from 1857 to 1941, keys to health, the grave marker project for Negro League baseball players, the man who “bought a zoo,” the international world of black baseball and the past and present of Negro League baseball.

Kicking off the series are Nancy Perzo and Karen Patton at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 1, on the main floor of Milner Library with Titanic the Ship of Dreams, commemorating the 100^th anniversary of the maiden voyage of the Titanic. The program is based on some of the survivors, and how the disaster affected their lives in a profound way. The program also involves audience participation about the survivors. Perzo and Patton’s business, The Tea Ladies, Inc., began in 2003. They have researched and written over 24 historical programs based on the Victorian Era and present each program in Victorian costume. Milner Library sponsors this presentation.

 On Wednesday, March 7, at 7 p.m., educator Edward Kohn will present Hot Time in the Old Town: New York’s Catastrophic Heat Wave of 1896 on the main floor of Milner Library. Kohn is an assistant professor of U.S. history at Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey, where he also serves as chair of the Department of American Culture and Literature. In 2007, History News Network named him a “Top Young Historian.” His most recent work is Hot Time in the Old Town: The Great Heat Wave of 1896 and the Making of Theodore Roosevelt, and he is currently writing a new book on Theodore Roosevelt and New York City. A book signing will follow his presentation, which is sponsored by the History department.

Educator and historian Diane Ravitch will present The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27, in Braden Auditorium at the Bone Student Center. Ravitch is a research professor of Education at New York University and a historian of education as well as a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. She shares a blog called Bridging Differences with Deborah Meier, which is hosted by Education Week. Ravitch also blogs for Politico.com/arena and the Huffington Post, and her articles have appeared in many newspapers and magazines. From 1991 to 1993, she was assistant secretary of Education and counselor to Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Ravitch was responsible for the Office of Educational Research and Improvement in the U.S. Department of Education. As assistant secretary, she led the federal effort to promote the creation of voluntary state and national academic standards. A book signing will follow her presentation, which is sponsored by the College of Education.

Find Your Passion: Lessons for Life and Career will be presented by College of Business Week speaker Diane Irvine at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28, in Braden Auditorium at the Bone Student Center. Irvine serves on the Board of Directors of Yelp, Inc., a user review and local search website. She previously served as chief executive officer and president of Blue Nile, Inc., the leading online retailer of diamonds and fine jewelry. Irvine joined Blue Nile as chief financial officer in 1999 and also served on Blue Nile’s Board of Directors from 2001–2011. She served on the Board of Directors of Davidson Companies, a leading regional financial services firm, from 1998-2009, and on the Board of Directors of Ticketmaster from 2008-2010. Irvine is a founding board member of the Fulcrum Foundation, an organization that provides financial support for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Seattle.

Librarian and archivist for the McLean County Museum of History Bill Kemp will present Baseball in McLean County, 1857-1941 at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 5, on the main floor of Milner Library. Kemp holds graduate degrees from the University of Illinois Springfield and Illinois State University. He is a weekly columnist for The Pantagraph newspaper, writing stories about local history. His columns are illustrated by photographs from the museum’s collections and recount topics such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to Bloomington; the end of the street car in 1936; local survivors of the Titanic disaster; the great fire that gutted downtown Bloomington; the introduction of the telegraph; and the Poor Farm and orphanages that once existed here. Kemp’s presentation is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Library Association and Milner Library.

The Science and Technology Week speaker is media personality Holly Atkinson presenting The 5 Keys to Health at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 12, in Braden Auditorium at the Bone Student Center. Atkinson, a well-known media personality and a gifted speaker, has engaged audiences on achieving wellness for more than 20 years. She is the senior on-air medical correspondent and chief medical editor of HealthiNation, the leading digital consumer health video network. Atkinson has a broad range of experience as a medical correspondent, including assignments with NBC’s Today, The CBS Morning News, Lifetime Medical Television and the PBS health show BodyWatch. She is an accomplished author, having written the best-selling book Women and Fatigue.

Jeremy Krock will present The Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18, on the main floor of Milner Library. Krock is an anesthesiologist who lives and works in Peoria. He received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Still University Health Sciences/Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1984. In 2003, Krock began the project ( http://www.nlbgmp.com/ ) that has placed over 25 grave markers at the unmarked graves of former Negro League baseball players, an umpire and sportswriter. He has been interviewed by the Chicago Tribune, ESPN, National Public Radio, New York Times, NBC and Sports Illustrated. Krock’s presentation is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Library Association and Milner Library.

Benjamin Mee, the owner of the Dartmoor Zoological Park, will present We Bought a Zoo at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 23, in the Brown Ballroom at the Bone Student Center. He will also offer a Q&A session at 3 p.m. on the main floor of Milner Library. Mee, a former bricklayer and decorator, returned to education in his early 20s in order to investigate animal intelligence. He studied psychology at the University College London (UCL) and wrote his dissertation on dolphin intelligence. His first article appeared in the Independent, while he was a student in science journalism at Imperial College. Mee subsequently made his living as a contributing editor to Men’s Health magazine and as a Guardian columnist, until commissioned by Penguin to write the book, Evolution of Humour in Man and Animals. While he was living in France and writing the book, the Dartmoor Zoological Park came up for sale. Mee currently divides his time between running the busy zoo and raising his two children. A book signing will follow his presentation, which is sponsored by The Sage Foundation Funds, CeMaST and Milner Library.

From Cuban Giants to Cuban Stars: The International World of Black Baseball is the topic of the Adrian Burgos Jr. presentation at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 26, on the main floor of Milner Library. Burgos is an associate professor of history at the University of Illinois, specializing in U.S. Latino history, urban history and sports history. His latest book, a biography of Alex Pompez titled Cuban Star: How One Negro League Owner Changed the Face of Baseball was published in 2011 by Hill & Wang. His first book, Playing America’s Game(s): Baseball, Latinos, and the Color Line, received the inaugural Latino/a Book Award from the Latin American Studies Association. Burgos Jr.’s presentation is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Library Association and Milner Library.

Culminating the Spring Speaker Series will be Ernie L. Westfield presenting Negro League Baseball: Yesterday and Today at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 3, on the main floor of Milner Library. Westfield played for the Cubs in 1958 after finishing high school. He is a former Negro League baseball player who pitched for the Birmingham Black Barons. Westfield was the starting pitcher for the last East-West All-Star game on Aug. 20, 1960, at Comiskey Park in Chicago. After baseball, Westfield received a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University and worked with the Illinois Department of Employment Security for 31 years, retiring in 1999. Currently he is the CEO of ELW Enterprise, which specializes in Negro League memorabilia. A book signing will follow Westfield’s presentation, which is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Library Association and Milner Library.