Department of History resumes commemoration of 75th Anniversary of World War II

“World War II 75th Anniversary Series: Experience and Legacy,” sponsored by the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences (CHBS), McConnell Library and the Department of History, returns this semester with virtual access after being placed on hold during Spring 2020.

“We are excited to get the World War II series back on track after the interruption of the spring,” said Matthew Oyos, Ph.D., professor of history. Suzanne Ament, Ph.D., professor of history, proposed the idea for the series of events.

The series aims to commemorate the lives of those who fought for freedom in World War II. Events will be held every Wednesday until November 11, with each presentation beginning at 4 p.m. Each event will have a limited in-person option, in McConnell Library 271, for up to 10 members of the Radford University campus. A virtual option will be available for the larger community. Pre-registration will be required to maintain distancing for attendees and to distribute a Zoom link for those joining virtually. To pre-register, visit the Department of History website. A recording of each presentation will be made available.

The presentations resumed August 26 with An Archaeological and Geophysical Expedition to Guadalcanal, hosted by Rhett Herman, Ph.D. Additional series events are listed below.

• September 2 — Nursing on the Battlefield: WWII and the Contributions of Nurses, hosted by Sarah Gilbert, Ph.D.

• September 9 — Scientific Racism: The History of Eugenics in Nazi Germany and the United States, hosted by Patricia Heberer-Rice, Ph.D. of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

• September 16 — J.D. Salinger and WWII, hosted by Moira Baker, Ph.D.

• September 23 — Keep Baseball Going: The National Pastime during World War II, hosted by Johnny Moore, Ph.D.

• September 30 — Animating WWII: Animation on the Home Front and Beyond, hosted by Michael Meindl

• October 7 — Breaking Enigma: The Bletchley Park Codebreakers and the Turning Bombe, hosted by Neil Sigmon, Ph.D.

• October 14 — Invisible Soldiers: African Americans in the Second World War, hosted by Sam Malesky

• October 28 — German Perspectives on VE Day, hosted by Mike Montgomery, Ph.D.

• November 4 — From the Holocaust to Now: Visual Narratives of Trauma, hosted by Roann Barris, Ph.D.

• November 11 — Posters go to War: Visual Narratives of Trauma, Part 2, hosted by Roann Barris, Ph.D.