WILL Headlines, News, & Notes
World War II at the U of I
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Enjoy World War II music and learn more about the effects of World War II on the U of I.
6 pm Thursday, Aug. 28
Alice Campbell Alumni Center, 601 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana.
Join us for a special evening of musical storytelling emphasizing the events of the war and prominent songs of the period, a video screening featuring people who lived and trained on campus during WWII, a discussion with panelists and your questions plus an archival display. Free parking in U of I lots D22, D5 (Krannert Center) and D9.
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, America was swept into World War II and the campus at the University of Illinois was transformed. Enrollment sharply declined and women took on new positions of leadership, while many male students went off to fight. New courses were added to the curriculum to support the war effort, and the Navy and Army offered training courses that brought thousands of soldiers to campus.
Tom Rogers, AM 580 news director, will host a live panel discussion with U of I alumni including Katie Harper Wright, who attended from 1940 to 1944 and was one of a small number of black students on campus; Jim Stallmeyer, who was drafted into the Navy and trained at the U of I from 1944-1946; Earl Swanson, who attended the U of I before joining the Army in 1943; William Prather, a soldier in the Army who trained on campus; and Kathryn Luther Henderson, a student from Champaign.
The program begins at 6 pm with a reception featuring refreshments and live music from the World War II era with Don Heitler and his jazz trio with Ben Taylor on bass and Jeff Magby on drums, followed by a selection of songs performed by vocalist Dena Vermette. The musical performance will be narrated by veteran John Weaver.
The Student Life and Culture Archival Program at the University of Illinois Archives will curate an exhibit of materials depicting campus life that may be viewed that evening.
Co-sponsored by WILL, the U of I Alumni Association, and the U of I Archives’ Student Life and Culture Archival Program, funded by the Stewart S. Howe Endowment.
