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January 30, 2002
History gains a human face at wars seminar at Regis University
Men and women of the World War II generation once again share their personal experiences with Regis students and others during "Stories from Wartime," the public component of the History Department's junior seminar about World War II.
"Stories from Wartime" is a series of presentations and panel discussions moderated by Regis history professor Dan Clayton and guest professor Rick Crandall of KEZW Radio. The seminar began Jan. 22 with a discussion on Pearl Harbor. The seminar continues every Tuesday at 6 p.m. through April 2 in the Science Amphitheater on Regis University's northwest Denver campus located at Lowell and Regis boulevards.
"There is no way to teach the war experience from a textbook," Clayton said. "We ask each of our panelists to talk about a memorable personal experience he or she had during the war that will show our students part of the picture of life in war and wartime."
Clayton conceived the idea for the course in 1996 with fellow history professors Ron Brockway and Jesuit Father Jim Guyer. In addition to "Stories From Wartime," the students conduct first-person interviews and write extensive research papers on World War II.
"The Regis World War II seminar focuses on the study of the common human experiences of war, using eyewitness accounts and family histories as primary instructional tools," Clayton said.
Over the years "Stories From Wartime" has gained a loyal following from the World War II generation who share their stories and interact with the students and each other, helping to ensure their stories will not be forgotten.
"Many of them view it as a vocation to preserve or remove from the margins their kinds of experience," Clayton said, noting that much of what is written about wars comes from the perspective of great military leaders or political leaders while this class offers a wide variety of perspectives.
"We want our students to hear the full range of stories," he said.
The range of topics is broad, including women who flew planes in the war, prisoners of war, issues surrounding the segregated armed forces, Japanese-Americans detained in camps and combat veterans, as well as the Holocaust and a discussion about how the media covers war.
The public is invited to hear the presentations and discussions. Except for a gala dance April 26 featuring the Dean Bushnell Big Band there is no charge to attend and tickets are not required.
For more information, call 303-458-3544.
"Stories From Wartime" Schedule
•Feb. 5: The Battlefronts — Combat veterans recall their war experiences. Speakers include: Paul Murphy, Clay Decker, Bill Moore, Phil Antonelli, Gilbert Maestas and Mike Quering
•Feb. 12: The Distaff Side of War —Female WWII veterans recall their experiences. Speakers include: Lucile Wise, Yvonne Wood, Kay Gunderson, and other members of the WASP, Sally Guy, Joanne Holland and Ruth Prodhomme.
•Feb. 19: A Multicultural History of WWII — Veterans tell about their experiences in the segregated armed services. Speakers include: Buck Newsum, Joe Sakato and Nobuo Furuiye. Also, a Tribute to Tom Masamori.
•Feb. 26: The Prisoner of War Experience — Veterans describe their experiences as prisoners of war. Speakers include: Bob and Peg Ball, Don Good and Glenn Berry.
•March 12: Why We Fight — Veterans and media specialists discuss the media's look at war.
•March 19: Veterans' Town Meeting — Veterans from America's different wars discuss today's War Against Terrorism. Veterans who will facilitate include Dewey Augenstein and Clarke Brandt.
•March 26: The Holocaust — Holocaust educator Susan Shear and veterans who witnessed the results of Hitler's Final Solution talk about the most shameful events of human history. Also features Nuremberg War Crimes Trials court reporter Vivien Spitz and presentation on remembering Dachau by veteran George Wise.
•April 2: WWII In Our Memory —Veterans and civilians discuss their public efforts to keep WWII in our national memory. Rick Crandall, Paul Murphy, Frank Palmieri, Clarke Brandt, Deb Ellis, Jim Hamilton, John Nash, and others discuss their public efforts to remember World War II in our national memory.
•April 26: WWII Gala Dance — The series concludes with a gala dance in the Regis Student Center Dining Room featuring the Dean Bushnell Big Band and Regis ensembles; 7-10 p.m.
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