2007 Robert Ware Straus Lecture Series Announced

Contact: Kathy Talbot
Phone: 301.283.2113 ext. 32
Email: ktalbot@accokeek.org

The Accokeek Foundation is proud to announce speakers for the 2007 Robert Ware Straus Lecture Series.

What is the RWS Lecture Series? Robert Ware Straus, along with Charles Wagner and Henry Ferguson, was one of the original incorporators of the Accokeek Foundation in 1957. Over the next thirty-four years he served as Executive Vice President and President of the Board of Trustees, guiding the Foundation through the establishment of the National Colonial Farm, the completion of Piscataway Park, the introduction of educational and public programs, and the beginning of the Ecosystem Farm. Mr. Straus died in 1991. This Lecture Series was established by the Board of Trustees in 2004 to honor his commitment to both scholarship and public programs.

In this spirit, registration is not required, and the lectures are free.

Robert Ware Straus Lecturers have included the following: The Honorable Thomas V. "Mike" Miller, President of the Maryland Senate; Dr. Chandler Robbins, Senior Ornithologist with the U. S. Geological Survey; Ross Merrill, Chief Conservator, National Gallery of Art; Michael and Carrie Kline, co-directors of the Southern Maryland Folklife Project; Dr. Robert Sutton, Superintendent of Manassas National Battlefield Park; Dr. John Michael Vlach, Professor of Folklore and American Studies, The George Washington University; Dr. Barbara Clark Smith, Curator of Political History, National Museum of American History.

We are proud to have Mr. Tutman, Dr. Tayac and Dr. Meringolo as this year's speakers. We hope that you will join us for one, or all, of these truly unique and engaging lectures. The Education Building's doors open one hour prior to each lecture for coffee and pastries. Catering is provided by Desserts by Gerard. There is no charge for this series.

"A RIVERKEEPER'S PATUXENT JOURNEY"
Speaker: Fred Tutman
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Coffee and Pastries 3:00 p.m., Speaker 4:00 p.m.
Free Admission.

Riverkeeper Fred Tutman is a sixth generation resident on a family farm in the Patuxent River Watershed, and a native son of the Patuxent and part of a Diaspora that bridges several sub-cultures of river-folk. Fred is one of a large group of Marylanders deeply tied to their sense of place and united by...water. As Riverkeeper for a 110 mile waterway, Fred works full time as an advocate for Patuxent River water quality in all seven counties along the river and tries to provide better connectivity for many of the local groups that support preservation of our regional water resources. The Riverkeeper is also responsible for a variety of cleanups, restorations and appreciation projects and strives to treat the Patuxent as a holistic resource. Riverkeeper Tutman will share pictures and personal reflections about his 25 years of activism and engagement with the people, problems and issues of Maryland's longest intrastate waterway. There will be lively Q&A and discussion, plus Fred will discuss his own personal journey towards a deeper grasp of the meaning of stewardship, and self discovery of his own ties to his Patuxent heritage.

"OVER THIS EARTH: NATIVE HISTORY AT ACCOKEEK RECONSIDERED"
Speaker: Gabrielle Tayac
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Coffee and Pastries at 2:00 p.m., Speaker at 3:00 p.m.
Free Admission.

Drawing from documentary and oral historical sources, Dr. Gabrielle Tayac, will engage the audience in an overview of Piscataway post-contact history that explores the question: What happened to us? Comparing and contrasting with the course of events that occurred as a result of the Jamestown Settlement in 1607, the Maryland case will be examined for the course of its uniquely complicated American Indian history. Debates about identity, race, and recognition spiraling out from early colonialism will be discussed in terms of their modern legacy as well as their inception in the 17th century.

Dr. Tayac, a member of the Piscataway Indian Nation, is a Historian at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). She received her doctorate in Sociology from Harvard University and Bachelor's of Science in Social Work and American Indian Studies from Cornell University. Dr. Tayac has served in staff and advisory capacities in a wide variety of settings including Amnesty International, Survival International, National Geographic, the Maryland Historical Society, the Accokeek Foundation, and Historic St. Mary's City to broaden public knowledge of American Indian history and contemporary issues. She is one of the most sought-after lecturers on Native peoples of the Chesapeake today. Dr. Tayac published an award-winning children's book, Meet Naiche: A Native Boy of the Chesapeake Region, as part of an effort to reach the next generation. She is also the curator of NMAI's new permanent exhibition, Return to a Native Place: Algonquian Peoples of the Chesapeake and the co-curator of NMAI's Inaugural Exhibition, Our Lives: Contemporary Native Life and Identity. In addition to her regional expertise, she also dedicates her research to work among Latin American indigenous peoples. She is deeply proud to be the granddaughter of Chief Turkey Tayac, the late medicine man and culture bearer, who is buried in Piscataway National Park.

"VIEWS AND VISIONS"
Speaker: Denise Meringolo
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Coffee and Pastries at 2:00 p.m., Speaker at 3:00 p.m.
Free Admission.

In celebration of the Accokeek Foundation's 50th Anniversary, Dr. Denise Meringolo will give a talk about the unique views that inspired the preservation of the Foundation's landscape.

Dr. Denise Meringolo is an Assistant Professor of History and Public History at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She received her Ph.D. in American Studies from The George Washington University, and has over 15 years of experience in the field of public history. Dr. Meringolo was honored to serve as the Accokeek Foundation's Scholar-in-Residence from 2005-2006 where she convened a meeting of land conservancies and preservation associations. She is also the curator of the Accokeek Foundation's interpretive exhibit, "The View From Here," which will open later this year.