Florida Humanities Speaker Series Continues At Stetson University

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DeLand, FL – Presented by the Florida Humanities Council in partnership with Stetson University, the Florida Humanities Speaker Series continues with “Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida’s Environment,” featuring Peggy Macdonald, Ph.D., executive director, Matheson History Museum in Gainesville, Florida. Part of a series of four engaging talks on various aspects of Florida’s environmental history this event will provide audiences with an inspirational message about the power a small group of committed citizens can have to defend Florida’s environment.

The event is scheduled for Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. in the Marshall & Vera Lea Rinker Welcome Center, 529 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand, Florida, 32723. This event is free and open to the public.

“We are honored to host Peggy Macdonald to share the story of Marjorie Harris Carr’s conservation career,” said Wendy Anderson, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Environmental Science and Studies at Stetson University. “As a community, Stetson is committed to implementing sustainability initiatives, and many of our students are preparing to be environmental leaders through various disciplines. It is essential for tomorrow’s leaders to understand and study the career and success of conservationists from other generations.”

Drawing from her book, and using historic postcards and photos, Macdonald will share with the audience Carr’s story and her significance to Florida’s environmental history. Carr was raised by naturalist parents in rural southwest Florida when the state had fewer than a million residents. In the 1960s, when I-75 was constructed through her backyard, Carr launched a conservation career that preserved many of north central Florida’s ecological treasures.

A native Floridian, Macdonald has taught history at Stetson University, Florida Polytechnic University, Indian River State College and the University of Florida. Her recent book, Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida’s Environment, won Honorable Mention in Foreword Reviews’ 2014 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award contest in Women’s Studies. She writes articles on local history for Gainesville Magazine, Our Town Magazine, Senior Times Magazine and Examiner.com.

The Florida Humanities Council (www.FloridaHumanities.org) partners with community organizations around the state. Support for the speaker series is provided by the Florida Humanities Council with funds from the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs.

Florida Humanities Speakers Series at Stetson University Schedule of Upcoming Events

(All events are free and open to the public.)

 

Jan. 30, 2018, 7:00 p.m.

"Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida's Environment"

Peggy Macdonald, Ph.D., executive director, Matheson History Museum

Stetson University, Marshall & Vera Lea Rinker Welcome Center

529 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand, Florida, 32723

April 12, 2018, 7:00 p.m.

"Rain: A Cultural and Natural History"

Cynthia Barnett, environmental journalist

Stetson University, Marshall & Vera Lea Rinker Welcome Center

529 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand, Florida, 32723

Cynthia Barnett teaches environmental journalism, and nature and adventure writing at the University of Florida. She is an award-winning environmental journalist who has reported on water and climate change around the world. Her latest book is Rain: A Natural and Cultural History, nominated for the National Book Award and a finalist for the 2016 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.

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