Publish Date

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield will hold three Lunch & Learn Series events this spring. The series is presented by the UIS Alumni SAGE Society and the Illinois State Historical Society.

WHEN: Doors Open 11 a.m. | Lunch 11:30 a.m. | Program 12-1 p.m.

March 14, April 13 and May 9

WHERE: Illini Country Club, 1601 Illini Rd., Springfield

DETAILS: Tuesday, March 14: Oral and Penned History
Mark DePue, historian and founding director for oral history at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM), will discuss gathering, preserving and interpreting voices, memories and historical events. Mark Flotow, anthropologist and author, will discuss his book “In Their Letters, In Their Words: Illinois Civil War Soldiers Write Home,” a collection of quotes from letters written by Illinois Civil War soldiers to loved ones and friends.

Thursday, April 13: Antislavery and Equality Movements
Graham Peck, Wepner distinguished professor of Lincoln studies at UIS, will speak to “Making an Antislavery Nation: Lincoln, Douglas, and the Battle over Freedom,” his book which reinterprets the origins and triumph of antislavery politics in the antebellum North. Anne Moseley, director of engagement and curator for Sangamon Experience at UIS, will speak to philanthropist and social activist Susan Lawrence Dana, highlighting the benefactor’s work on African-American equality and women's suffrage.

Tuesday, May 9: Lincoln in Photos and the Illinois State Capitol
Mark Sorensen, archivist, retired assistant director of the Illinois State Archives and past president of the Illinois State Historical Society (ISHS), will present Lincoln in Photographs. David Finnigan, architect and author, will discuss his book “Thousand-Year Statehouse: The Art and Architecture of the Illinois State Capitol,” which examines the Illinois State Capitol's design and storied history as a social center.

The in-person events cost $38 a person and include a hot buffet lunch. A virtual viewing option is also available. Please register online.