I am decidedly biased against the land beyond the bridge. While admittedly petty in nature, my qualms with Hoosierville range to the emotional (I simply find it depressing) to the navigational (Road signs, anyone? Hello?). My Louisville smugness is a sentiment I probably use as a coping mechanism for some deep-seated unresolved insecurity about my sense of place. Or maybe it’s because I can’t buy wine on Sundays. C’est la vie. But whatever my feelings towards the modern incarnation of Louisville’s awkward step-sister over the river, I’ll make no issue over the contributions of the land’s historical heroes. Join Franklin College professor and author, Lloyd A. Hunter, as he expounds on the life an historical Hoosier built to be a renaissance man. With the book For Duty and Destiny: The Life and Civil War Diary of William Taylor Stott, Hoosier, Soldier and Educator at his side, Hunter will share the contributions of the bright-eyed revolutionary this upcoming Wednesday, June 20th, at 6pm at The Filson Historical Society.
Currently serving as Professor Emeritus of History and American studies at Franklin College, it might be safe to say at Lloyd A. Hunter owes his career and notable prestige in part to the work and insight of one lone forefather of the region. As discussed in the Hunter’s newly-released book, For Duty and Destiny, the eclectic life of William Taylor Stott not only changed the course of Franklin College, but challenged many of the backward ideas of the time and laid a progressive path for the marriage of scholastic thinking, racial equality and religion. A Civil War soldier, devout Baptist and shrewd educator, Stott would eventually serve as President of Franklin College and transform the foundering institution from a defunct school to a leader of liberal arts education within the region.
Check your Bluegrass bias at the door and grab a seat at The Filson Historical Society this week for a nod towards the progressives of our sisterland’s past. Join Lloyd A. Hunter for discussion and dialogue of Stott’s didactic contributions to modern study, current alcohol restrictions be damned! Besides, at the end of the day, Louisville still has Hunter S. Thompson. No contest.
The Filson Historical Society is located at 1310 South Third Street. This event is free, but reservations are required.
Image: Courtesy of Indiana Historical Society Press Blog www.ihspress.blogspot.com
