Three area reading groups did test runs on the final contenders: a Carnegie Library group led by Margaret Rothrock and Denise Tomlinson; Angola High School teachers, Lyn Osborne, Kay Thomas, Marcia Powers, Karen Sanders, Ruth Wappes and Troy Hendricks; and a group from the First Congregational Church led by Pastor Deb Davis. Based on the findings of the three reading groups and the selection committee's own deliberations, we have selected Tim O'Brien's collection of related stories detailing his experiences as a soldier in Viet Nam and the weight of the emotional impact he has carried since that war. "We aren't looking to dredge up the politics of Vietnam here, but we do think the book is topical. We have soldiers fighting now, seeing and suffering things humans should not have to see and suffer. We believe O'Brien can offer some insight into what those soldiers who do return will be feeling. We believe O'Brien offers some insight about war for those of us who have been fortunate enough not to have experienced it firsthand. The book is graphic in places. As we sit and read it in the comfort and safety of our own homes or schools, perhaps it needs to be," said Humanities Director, Tom Tierney.

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Selection Committee

Community Members

Michael Marturello, Herald Republican

Lyn Osborne, Angola High School English Teacher; adjunct professor, Tri-State University

Tim Sicula, City Councilman

John Stevens, Hamilton High School English Teacher

 

The Board of the Humanities Institute of Tri-State University

Prof. Katherine Foerster

Theresa Hornbacher

Dr. Dennis Petrie

Dr. Thomas Tierney

Dr. Robert Whelchel

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Events Calendar

SEPTEMBER

29 — KICKOFF EVENT.   Steuben READ Express committee members will unveil the community reading project and discuss briefly its origin, processes, their expectations and hopes, and answer questions.  Attendees can be among the first to browse through the must-see exhibit described below. Carnegie Public Library of Steuben County.  2-3:30 PM

 

Photo exhibit.  Works by Vietnam Combat Photographers will be on display at the Carnegie Public Library of Steuben County in Angola (Sept. 29-Oct.31) and the Wells Gallery at Tri-State University (Oct. 1-Nov. 11).  Photos have been reprinted from the National Archives in Washington, D.C.  The collection is on loan from the Indianapolis Art Center.  

 

OCTOBER

  3 — Film & Discussion.  Sergeant York.  The true-life story of a religious pacifist who became the most decorated American soldier of World War I.  Wells Theater, Taylor Hall of Humanities, Tri-State University.  7 PM

  5 — Guided Tour of Kruse’s Victory Museum.   Craig Adolph will lead us through this Kruse Foundation museum, which features the world’s largest collection of World War II artifacts, plus items from other wars.  West of I-69 at  the second (southern) Auburn exit, mile sign 126.   9-11 AM

10 — Play.  The Cover of Life.  R.T. Robinson’s drama, set in a small town in 1943, explores wartime sacrifices from the domestic side.  Three young wives come to live with their mother-in-law while their husbands are fighting overseas.  Henry Luce of Life magazine sends a reporter to cover this story of loneliness, loss, and personal discovery. Wells Theater, Taylor Hall of Humanities, Tri-State University.  7:30 PM  General admission:  $3.

11— Alumni Veteran Discussion.  Tri-State University Homecoming.  Public Invited!  Taylor Hall of Humanities. 2PM

11— Play.  The Cover of  Life.  Taylor Hall of Humanities, Tri-State University.  7:30 PM  General admission:  $3.

13 — Play.  The Cover of Life.  Taylor Hall of Humanities, Tri-State University.  3 PM  General admission:  $3.

16 — 60’s Coffeehouse for Students.  Discussions of The Things They Carried as Literature.  Speakers:  John Stevens on “’Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong’ & Heart of Darkness”; Dr. Tom Tierney on “The Things They Carried as Extended Zeugma”; student panelists.  Authentic coffeehouse ambience of the 60’s with John Stevens performing the socially-conscious songs of Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger and others of the era.  High-school & college students invited as well as faculty.  Sutton’s Deli, Angola, on the mound.   7-9 PM

17— Veteran Discussion.  Local Vietnam combat Veterans Paul Sparks, Gene Julian, Frank Patterson, and others discuss how the novel relates to their war experiences.  First Congregational Church.  7 PM

23 — Veteran Discussion.  Combat veteran Denver Hamman leads a discussion of the novel from a WWII perspective.  Carnegie Public Library of Steuben County.  Room A & B.  6:30 PM

26 — Talk.  “Bearing Up…Then and Now” by Leon Chester, a combat veteran who also served on the General Peers’ Commission, which investigated the My Lai massacre.  Question & answer period. Taylor Hall, Wells Theater, Tri-State University.  7 PM

29 — Noontalk.  “The Other Forgotten War:  America ‘Assimilates’ the Philippines.”  Dr. James Zimmerman, University Professor of Arts & Sciences, offers comparisons and contrasts to Vietnam.  Taylor Hall of Humanities, Tri-State University.  12 PM

 

NOVEMBER

3 — Documentary.  Regret to Inform.  In this award-winning film, a combat widow, now remarried, visits Vietnam years later to see where her first husband was killed and to talk to Vietnamese widows of that war.  First Congregational Church.  3 PM

7— Film & Discussion.  Black Hawk Down.  An intense, violent reality-based war film about American soldiers attacked on a mission in 1993 Somalia.  Taylor Hall of Humanities, Tri-State University.  7 PM

 

11— VETERANS DAY.  Cunningham Essay Contest Award Ceremony and Steuben READ Express Wrap-up, with a possible look forward. Feedback about the project will be sought and appreciated. Taylor Hall of Humanities, Tri-State University.  4:30 PM

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