First Sunday Lecture Series

The Cherokee Phoenix: 1828-1839
Sunday, January 8, 2023
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library, Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

Presenter: Dr. George Lamplugh

Dr. George Lamplugh will present "The News from Cherokee Country: Elias Boudinot and the Cherokee Phoenix, 1828-1839." The Cherokee Phoenix was the first newspaper published by Native Americans in the United States and the first published in a Native American language. The presentation is both a biography of Boudinot, the founding editor of the Phoenix (1828-1832), and a look at the history of the Cherokee tribal newspaper, which survived, for a couple of years following Boudinot's resignation from the paper.

Dr. George Lamplugh is the former Social Studies Department Chair at Atlanta's Westminster School. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Delaware and has written three books on aspects of Georgia's early political history, including In Pursuit of Dead Georgians: One Historian's Excursions Into the History of His Adopted State.

The Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

Black History Month Lecture

The Real Hank Aaron
Saturday, February 4, 2023
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library, Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

Presenter: Terence Moore, author of The Real Hank Aaron

Terence Moore went from a 12-year-old Hank Aaron fan who even bought a poster of him back in 1968 to an honorary pallbearer at his funeral in January 2021. Courtesy of their 40-year friendship, Mr. Moore knew Hank better than any reporter in history. As a result, a few months before his death, Mr. Aaron encouraged Mr. Moore to write this book that is 95 percent fresh information on the life and philosophies of baseball's greatest player.

Speaker Biography:
Terence Moore lives in Smyrna, where he is a national sports columnist for Forbes.com and the weekly contributor to WSB-TV's Sports Zone Sunday. Mr. Moore observed, "In so many ways, I'm the Jackie Robinson of African American sports journalists after 45 years working for major media outlets. I was the first Black sportswriter in the history of both the Cincinnati Enquirer and the San Francisco Examiner. I also was the first Black sports columnist in the history of the Deep South when I spent 25 years in that role at the Atlanta Journal Constitution."

Sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library

First Sunday Lecture Series

Regina Rambo Benson—Marietta’s Lady of Firsts
Celebrating Women's History Month

Sunday, March 5, 2023
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library, Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

Presenter: Christa McCay, Marietta History Center’s Collections Manager

Christa McCay will discuss the life of Marietta’s Regina Rambo Benson. Mrs. Benson was an early supporter of women’s equality and was one of the few women to drive a car in the 1910 Georgia Good Roads Tour. She ran for political office during the 1930s when few women did. Learn about a true legend and inspiration to many!

Presenter: Christa McCay holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Masters’ Degree in Heritage Preservation with an emphasis in Public History from Georgia State University. She monitors and maintains the City of Marietta’s entire collection of historical artifacts. Christa has presented at state, regional and national conferences about her work with the collection. She has been recently awarded with the Georgia Museum Professional of the Year from the Georgia Association of Museums.

The Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

The Georgia Gold Rush of 1829-42 and Its Myriad Consequences
Sunday, April 2, 2023
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library, Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

Presenter: Dr. William Marchione, author of A Brief History of Smyrna, Georgia

The first major gold rush in US history occurred during the years 1829 to 1842, at a location a scant 60 miles north of Smyrna. The lure of gold, a recurrent theme in American history from the Age of Exploration onward, led in the case of North Georgia to a huge influx of prospectors that flocked into the area of present-day Lumpkin, White, Union, and Cherokee counties. Settlers were little concerned with the provisions of federal treaties which stipulated that this territory belonged to its indigenous population, the Cherokee Indians. The Georgia Gold Rush led in short order to the forced removal of the native population in a tragic episode known as "The Trail of Tears." The lecture will also examine the history of gold mining in the years that followed the initial "intrusion," when the industry fell by degrees under the control of outsiders.

Presenter: Dr. William Marchione is the author A Brief History of Smyrna, Georgia. He is a retired educator, historian, author, and frequent lecturer for Smyrna Public Library and other local organizations.

The Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

Special Event Lecture

CORONATION TEA & TALK
Friday, May 5, 2023
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Smyrna Library Meeting Room
For ages 18 and up
Limited seating. Registration Required.

Join us for a celebration of the coronation of King Charles III, King of the United Kingdom. We will enjoy tea and light refreshments of tiny sandwiches, biscuits, and scones. Then we will enjoy a short lecture by Kennesaw State University professor, Dr. Amy Dunigan. Remember to wear your fascinator or ascot!

“Coronations and the Legitimacy of the British Monarchy”

Coronations have served to legitimize new English monarchs since Anglo-Saxon times. Many elements of the ceremony date back centuries, including the anointing, which marks the monarch as chosen by God to rule. In the last coronation ceremony in 1953, the anointing of Elizabeth II was deemed too sacred to televise. How might this part of the coronation be received differently now, seventy years later, in the much more secular context of modern Britain? How might the coronation of Charles III serve to shore up the legitimacy of a weakened institution in the twenty-first century?

Speaker bio: Dr. Amy Dunagin is an assistant professor of history at Kennesaw State University, where she specializes in the cultural and political history of Britain and its empire. She is currently completing a book manuscript entitled “The Land Without Music: English Identity and the Virtue of Unmusicality,” in which she explores why the English cultivated a reputation as an unmusical people in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, even as they aggressively asserted national superiority over Continental Europeans in a host of other spheres. Dunagin holds an interdisciplinary doctorate in history and musicology from Yale University.

First Sunday Lecture Series

From Eyes to Ears: The Process of Creating Audiobooks
Sunday, June 4
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

Audiobook narrator Janet Metzger will share how narrators take the written word and turn it into a performance for one – YOU! She will also touch on the future of audiobooks – AI-voiced books – an opportunity or a threat?

Presenter: Janet Metzger, of Decatur, GA, has been an audiobook narrator of fiction and nonfiction since 2009. She has worked in film and theatre as well as behind the mic for CNN and CNN International. She has narrated over 40 podcasts for The Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. Her theatrical experiences include many years with the Atlanta Shakespeare Company and as a puppeteer with the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta. She has been recognized for excellence multiple times by AudioFile Magazine’s Earphone Awards. Over 90 of her more than 150 audiobooks are available through Hoopla. www.janetmetzger.com

The Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

First Sunday Lecture Series

Death on the Rails: Major Mishaps from the Civil War to the Early 20th Century
Sunday, August 6
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

While rail travel improved mobility and opened new markets, it could be, at times, incredibly dangerous. Sadly, train wrecks and mishaps changed the lives of passengers, workers, and innocent bystanders.

Presenter: Todd DeFeo has written extensively about railroads, authoring books about the Atlanta Northern Railway, the Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad, the Western & Atlantic Railroad and others. He will present anecdotes from those books and unveil new research to bring to life the stories of those affected by railroad mishaps.

The Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

First Sunday Lecture Series

Towering Views: Remembering the World Trade Center 20 Years After 9/11
Sunday, September 17
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library Meeting Room
Presenter: David Batley
Light refreshments will be served.

In late August 2001, David Batley was able to photograph Manhattan from an arts studio on the 92nd floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Less than two weeks later, 9/11 occurred and greatly affected Mr. Batley. After a few years, he felt he should somehow use the photographs. He and his wife returned to New York in late August 2010, when he purposely wanted to capture the rebuilding of Ground Zero and together, use his original photos as a tribute.

Presenter: David Batley has been capturing images for over 50 years, starting with documenting conflict in Southeast Asia in the late 1960s while serving in the Army. Through the years, he has been passionate about photography and has worked as a versatile freelancer with the objective of providing a unique look at many types of subject matter, whether event-oriented, documentary, or fine art. In addition to freelancing, he has enjoyed teaching photography for the past 25 years both in the classroom and as a private instructor.

The Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

Special Event Lecture

A Developmental History of Smyrna, Georgia

This two-part lecture entitled "A Developmental History of Smyrna, Georgia" will examine Smyrna’s transformation from an agricultural village in the mid-19th century into the thriving commuter suburb of our day. This profusely illustrated lecture will examine the many factors that stimulated and/ or retarded that transformation.

Presenter: Dr. William Marchione is the author A Brief History of Smyrna, Georgia. He is a retired educator, historian, author, and frequent lecturer for Smyrna Public Library and other local organizations.

Monday, September 18: 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Monday, September 25: 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Smyrna Library, Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

This lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

First Sunday Lecture Series

Solar Eclipses in America
Sunday, October 1
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

On Saturday, October 14, 2023, much of the United States will view an annular eclipse of the sun. And just a few months later, on April 8, 2024, the United States will be witness to one of the most spectacular and rare natural phenomena, a total solar eclipse. For most people, this is a once in a lifetime event, if they are fortunate. For others, eclipse chasing becomes an obsession, over which they travel the world for one more fleeting glimpse of the incredible beauty of the Sun’s corona dancing in a darkened sky. Join NASA Solar System Ambassador Chris Thompson for a discussion of 2023's annular eclipse and 2024’s astronomical event of the year. Participants will learn how eclipses occur, where, when and how to safely observe the eclipse, and what additional resources they can use to best prepare for their eclipse experience.

NASA Solar System Ambassador Chris Thompson is a Human Resources professional with a passion for the United States' space program. He has taught for Georgia State University's Saturday School for Scholars and Leaders as well as numerous presentations in schools, museums, libraries and other venues in several states and countries over the past 25 years. Chris is Past President of the Meteorite Association of Georgia and a member of the International Meteorite Collectors Association.

The Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

Special Event Lecture

Notable Women of Smyrna & Vicinity
Monday, October 30:
6:30-7:30 p.m.
Smyrna Library, Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

“Notable Women of Smyrna & Vicinity," will document the important role that women have played in the civic, cultural, economic and philanthropic life of the community.

Presenters: Dr. William Marchione is the author A Brief History of Smyrna, Georgia. He is a retired educator, historian, author, and frequent lecturer for Smyrna Public Library and other local organizations.
This lecture will be co-narrated by Smyrna Museum Manager Jennie Eldredge.

This lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

First Sunday Lecture Series

The Lieutenant and the Cobb County Boys
Sunday, November 5
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

In observance of Veterans Day, Smyrna Library will screen the documentary, "The Lieutenant and the Cobb County Boys." This short film includes excerpts from oral histories of World War II veterans of Smyrna collected by local resident and historian, Pat Burns. The veterans included in the documentary are Dorothy Moseley Bacon, Watson Petty, James Pressley, Edward Laporta, Cleveland Thrower, Peter Burnette, Virgil Sexton, Arthur Crowe, Jr., Eugene Williams, and William E Price. The documentary is complemented by an exhibit of wartime photographs from Smyrna veterans, also collected by Pat Burns for a project she and the Smyrna Historical and Genealogical Society completed in 2001 to document the stories of WWII veterans of Smyrna. After seeing the film, please visit the upstairs gallery and exhibit cases to learn more about these extraordinary Smyrnans and Cobb County "boys."

The Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.