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Helen Lewis Lectures
HELEN LEWIS
LECTURE 2008
DR. BARBARA
ELLEN SMITH TO DELIVER FOURTH HELEN LEWIS LECTURE
 A
great evening was planned for Friday, March 7, as The Craddock Center
presented the Fourth Annual Helen Lewis Lecture. The evening began
at 7 pm with some foot-tapping and lots of clapping as Sonny Houston and
the Gold Rush Band playing Appalachian mountain music. At 7:30 pm Dr.
Barbara Ellen Smith spoke to us on “Latino Immigrants and the
Challenge of Community in Appalachia”. She is a noted authority on
Latino immigration and the changing racial-ethnic dynamics of the South.
Dr. Smith came to Virginia Tech in the fall of 2005 as Director of
Women’s Studies and Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary
Studies. For the past thirty years she has been an activist scholar in
Appalachia and the U.S. South.
HELEN LEWIS
LECTURE 2006
Entertaining, Informative - these two words describe the evening
of the second annual Helen Lewis Lecture. Laura Boosinger of
Asheville entertained and charmed us with her delightful music. Darlene
Wilson informed and disturbed our minds with her presentation on
Melungeons in Appalachia. The category “Race” may need to be radically
re-thought or dropped as a consideration among peoples of the world.
If you missed the event, Darlene left with the Center CD’s containing
history, correspondence, photos, legal documents, even songs related to
Melungeons. Call the Center to check out a CD. And Darlene gives
permission to make your own copy if you like.
more...
This
year the Craddock Center was honored
to welcome historian and teacher Darlene
Wilson who will speak about Melungeon
women in Appalachia at the Helen Lewis
Lecture. Ms. Wilson is a nationally recognized historian of
Appalachia, race and women. She is the founder of APPALNET, a listserv
for the Appalachian studies community. She has also served as
Director of Institutional Advancement and Effectiveness, as well as
having been a faculty member for Southeast Community College in
Cumberland, KY. A respected author, Wilson’s writing has appeared in
numerous books and journals including the Journal of Appalachian
Studies. We are thrilled to welcome her.
Suggested
Reading:
The following books can be purchased online through the Melungeons
Heritage Association
http://www.melungeon.org.
- Walking
Toward the Sunset: The Melungeons of Appalachia by Wayne
Winkler.
- The
Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People by Brent Kennedy.
- Melungeons
and Other Pioneer Families by Jack Goins.
- How They
Shine: Melungeon Characters in the Fiction of Appalachia by
Katherine Vande Brake.
 MEET
LAURA BOOSINGER
Joining Wilson for the Helen Lewis Lecture will be musician Laura
Boosinger. Focusing on the traditional music from the Southern
Appalachian region, Boosinger has appeared at the Smithsonian Folklife
Festival as well as the Tennessee Homecoming at the Museum of
Appalachia. Ms. Boosinger was named “Most Outstanding Performer” at
Ashville’s “Mountain Dance and Folk Festival” - the oldest continuing
traditional music festival in the country. From old time banjo to finger
autoharp, Boosinger’s music welcomes listeners to the great musical
heritage
of Southern Appalachia. Welcome, Laura!
HELEN LEWIS
LECTURE 2005
 HELEN LEWIS LECTURE SERIES
BIG SUCCESS!
You measure success by the warm reception given to Sonny Houston and the
Blue Velvet Band. Their opening set put us emotionally and
appreciatively in Appalachia.
You measure success by the size of the crowd. Such a large response to
the first annual lecture bodes well for this event in subsequent years.
You measure success by the lingering of the crowd to continue savoring
the program and to exchange stories. “Please, go home, we have to lock
the building.”
 You
measure success by applause twice given to our guest lecturer, Loyal
Jones of Berea, KY. His vast knowledge of Appalachia, gained by
research and personal experience, was delightfully wrapped in the humor
and stories of the region. The laughter of the crowd was sprinkled with
a few “Amens” from old timers: “That is the way it is.”
You measure success by the multiple ovations given to Helen Lewis whom
we honor with this lectureship. She is a national treasure.
You measure success by the gratitude we feel toward the Blue Ridge
Mountain Arts Association, our host for the evening. The old courtroom
was prepared for us, and for the entire evening the jury was sequestered
and the judge delayed. It was our party.
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