Retired U.S. Naval Academy historian featured at 91传媒鈥檚 upcoming Marszalek Lecture Series
Contact: Pattye Archer
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜 U.S. Naval Academy professor of history emeritus is this year鈥檚 featured speaker for Mississippi State鈥檚 John F. and Jeanne A. Marszalek Lecture Series.
Professor Craig L. Symonds of Annapolis, Maryland, will present 鈥淏lack Americans in the Second World War鈥 on Thursday [March 9], 2 p.m. in the Templeton Music Museum, Mitchell Memorial Library. Additionally, 91传媒 English lecturer and history doctoral student Amber Morgan Gill will present 鈥淭he Fabric of Our Nation: A 19th Century Night Shirt Reveals the Complex Value of Material Objects.鈥 The event is free and open to the public.
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Held each March, the Marszalek Lecture Series recognizes an 91传媒 graduate student and an established, nationally known historian to bring attention to their works and encourage the use of primary sources in historical research, according to 91传媒 Associate Dean for Archives and Special Collections David Nolen.
鈥淭he Marszalek Library Fund and Lecture Series allows for the purchase of primary source materials that cover the Civil War and Reconstruction; Jacksonian America; and/or race relations. The lecture allows for a student researcher to present their research in an event that also features an established scholar speaking about their own research,鈥 Nolen said.
Symonds taught at the U.S. Naval Academy for 30 years and served as Department of History chair. From 2017 to 2020 he was the Ernest J. King Distinguished Professor of Maritime History at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. He is a four-time recipient of the federal government鈥檚 Superior Civilian Service Medal, and in 2014 he received the Dudley W. Knox Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Naval Historical Foundation.
He is author of 17 books, including 鈥淟incoln and His Admirals,鈥 which won the 2009 Lincoln Prize. His other Civil War era books include biographies of Joseph E. Johnston (Norton, 1992), Patrick Cleburne (University Press of Kansas, 1997), and Franklin Buchanan (Naval Institute Press, 1999), as well as 鈥淭he Civil War at Sea鈥 (Oxford University Press, 2009). His newest book is 鈥淣imitz at War: Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay鈥 (Oxford University Press, 2022).
Gill received her bachelor鈥檚 degree in art in 2010 from Jacksonville State University and her master鈥檚 in English literature in 2020 from Mississippi State. She currently is a lecturer for the 91传媒 English department and is in her second year of coursework toward a Ph.D. in history. Her research interests include 19th century popular culture, nationalism and the Civil War.听
Nolen said the series offers 91传媒 students, faculty and staff the chance to hear from important scholars.
鈥淲e hope students will gain an opportunity to hear original research presented by both a student and a seasoned scholar,鈥 he said.
The Marszalek Library Fund and Lecture Series were established in 2002 when the Marszaleks donated $20,000 to establish the fund within 91传媒 Libraries for the purchase of primary source materials. Materials purchased with this fund may be of any type other than monographs or journals. John Marszalek is a W.L. Giles Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at 91传媒 and former executive director of the U.S. Grant Association and Grant Presidential Library, both housed at the university. Currently a Grant Association board member, he was instrumental in bringing Grant鈥檚 papers to the university and in the construction of the presidential library within Mitchell Memorial Library. He also is an award-winning author and recipient of numerous book prizes.
鈥淭hrough the Marszaleks鈥 generosity, the library is able to add to its collections, and the research and teaching mission of the university is positively impacted by both the fund and the lecture,鈥 Nolen added.
For more information about the lecture series visit .