February 19, 2019 - The M.P. Baker Library will host Texas State Historian Emeritus and author, Mr. Bill O’Neal at noon on Tuesday, February 26th in the Murphy-Payne Community Rooms of the Library. Mr. O’Neal will speak on the influence of Jacob A. Riis, a pioneering newspaper reporter and social reformer. The lecture accompanies the current exhibit hosted by the Library. Jacob A. Riis was a Danish-American social reformer whose prolific writings and revolutionary photographs exposed the poor quality of life in New York City’s slums in the late 1800s. His photographic evidence of the plight of children living on the streets at that time is often credited for spawning what was later known as the Orphan Trains.
Mr. O’Neal is past president and Fellow of the East Texas Historical Association as well as recipient of the Association’s Ralph W. Steen and the Best of East Texas awards. He is also a member of the Western Writers of America organization. He has authored more than 45 books on a wide-range of topics. Mr. O’Neal taught history for more than thirty years at Panola College and received a Piper Professorship teaching award in 2000. Mr. O’Neal is a frequent public speaker and has appeared on television documentaries on The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, TBS, The A&E Channel and TNN.
The program is free and open to the community. A light lunch will be provided for the first 50 attendees. For additional information please call 903-693-2052 or email library@panola.edu.
