By Rubhi Garcia
Photography by Jolita Dural
This past Thursday, September 24 was an eventful night for WVU Tech as the university welcomed Richard Childress to discuss his lecture “Time, Culture, and Political Choices,” which covered research from his upcoming book, “A Historical Lottery: Europe, Appalachia and Beyond – The Ramsey Family Through 1500 Years of Social and Cultural Change.”
The Rice Lecture, organized by Dr. Melissa Sartore, attracted around 70 attendees to hear Childress and his informative speech on the history of the Ramsey family. Childress shared interesting aspects of the Ramsey family, their journey through migration from Europe into West Virginia and how freedom and religion were fundamental things the family faced.
Although his lecture covered portions of his upcoming book, it is important to acknowledge how history lectures like this help students understand the world as it stands today.
For Dr. Sartore, connecting to the past is important. She said the lecture was a great opportunity to make that connection because it “touched on history, current events, social and political life.” She said that the lecture also benefits students because it provides an opportunity to learn from the past.
Students shared that they enjoyed the lecture and that they were encouraged by professors to attend and learn more about local history.
Visit WVU Tech on Flickr to see photos from the event.