Students to present research on West Lafayette history

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Students from the Purdue University College of Liberal Arts will present their findings from a semester-long research course on West Lafayette history from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday (Dec. 7) at the West Lafayette Public Library.

Students from the graduate-level course "Archival Theory and Practice" have spent the semester preserving and taking inventory of archival materials relevant to West Lafayette history. Specifically, the group studied the language of civic engagement related to the role of leading women in politics. The symposium will focus on the work and legacy of former Mayor Sonya Margerum and former city Councilwoman Marjorie Gordon. There will be presentations and exhibits on display during the event, which is free and open to the public. Items on display include souvenirs and gifts presented to Margerum during her visit to Ota City, Japan, and maps of West Lafayette with proposed highway routes in the 1970s.

The students also have done basic preservation and inventory to help the West Lafayette Public Library gain physical and intellectual control of the materials, as well as writing grants to preserve and interpret the papers. The students' backgrounds range from American Studies, English literature, to creative writing and history.

The class was co-taught by Kristina Bross, associate professor of English, and Susan Curtis, professor of history. This is the sixth community symposium from the "Archival Theory and Practice" course. 

Writer: Caroline Shanley, cshanley@purdue.edu

Purdue News contact: Howard Hewitt, 765-494-9541, hhewitt@purdue.edu 

Source: Kristina Bross, 494-4501, kbross@purdue.edu