State Director of History, Arts & Libraries to Speak Here Thursday
Dinner Sponsored by Civil War, Historic Preservation Groups
April 22, 2004
By: Dave Rogers
Dr. Anderson speaks here last year at a session planning the Bay Cultural Arts Plan.
Dr. William Anderson, Director of the Michigan Department of History, Arts, and Libraries, (HAL) will speak here Thursday, April 29 at the second Civil War Dinner sponsored by the 7th Michigan Cavalry Civil War Round Table.
Dr. Anderson, of Ludington, a former college president, is a Civil War and baseball historian. He is the author/editor of five books and seventeen published articles and he has 34 published interviews of Detroit Tiger players. Dr. Anderson is a past president of the Historical Society of Michigan and the Michigan Humanities Council.
The dinner is slated for 6 p.m. Thursday in the Grand Banquet and Conference Center, 660 W. Hampton Road, Essexville. A special wine and cheese reception will be held at 5 p.m. in Dr. Anderson's honor.
The events are benefits for Historic Pine Ridge Cemetery and the Birney Sword project of the Bay County Historical Society.
Dr. Anderson will speak on "The 19th Michigan Infantry and the Emotions of War."
Reservations for the dinner may be made by calling Dee Dee Wacksman, 892-1136, Keith Markstrom, 893-0819, or Dave Rogers, 686-5544. Tickets are $20 for the dinner and $15 for the reception.
Dr. Anderson is anenthusiastic promoter of the arts and culture in Michigan.
"Far from being a luxury, the arts are an essential part of the fabric of our state, playing a major role in our economy, our children's education and our quality of life," he says. Michigan consistently ranks in the top five of states for support of the arts and culture and in establishing effective partnerships that promote and support resources in that regard.
Combining the resources of various state government agencies and commissions, HAL has launched two new initiatives, the Maritime Heritage Destination and the Cultural Tourism Visitor Experience Pilot Project. The agency also has improved and expanded the Michigan Week celebration and developed a new arts andcultural education program, the "Big Culture Lesson."