APPEARANCES
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Saving Paynes Prairie
Dr. Peggy Macdonald highlights the role Marjorie Harris Carr and the Gainesville Garden Club played in transforming privately owned land into Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. The talk takes place on May 16, 2024. More information is available at the Friends of Paynes Prairie website.
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A Short History of Florida, from the Spanish Colonial Period to the Present
American history began in Florida over 500 years ago, but the Sunshine State is often overlooked in mainstream American history, which focuses on the British colonies. Nonetheless, the first Thanksgiving in the present-day United States was celebrated in Florida, and the first Pocahontas story took place here, too. As the late historian Michael Gannon noted, by the time Jamestown was established, St. Augustine was well into urban renewal. Dr. Macdonald discusses some fascinating parts of Florida's past that are often overlooked, ranging from Fort Mose to the history of the Florida Seminoles, Florida's role in secession and the Civil War, Florida women's fight for equal suffrage, the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic, and the emergence of modern Florida after World War II. This talk will be presented at the 2024 General Court banquet of The Order of the Founders and Patriots of America in St. Augustine on June 1, 2024.
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Carolyn Beatrice Parker, Gainesville's Own "Hidden Figure"
One of Florida's own "hidden figures," Carolyn Beatrice Parker was born in Gainesville in 1917, during the Jim Crow era. Parker's father, Dr. Julius A. Parker was one of Gainesville's first Black physicians. A product of Florida's segregated education system, in 1938 Carolyn Parker graduated magna cum laude from Fisk University with a bachelor’s degree in physics. In 1941, Parker completed a master’s degree in physics at the University of Michigan, becoming the first known Black woman to receive a graduate degree in physics. During World War II, while she was only in her twenties, Parker worked as a research physicist with the Dayton Project, a division of the Manhattan Project. Parker's team worked with the highly radioactive material Polonium (Po-210), which was used as the initiator for atomic bombs. Likely due to her work with polonium, Carolyn Parker died of leukemia at age 48, before she could complete her doctorate in physics at MIT. An elementary school in Gainesville was recently renamed in her honor. This program will be presented on Saturday, September 28 at the Ormond Beach Historical Society.
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Other Available Talks:​
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Florida's Female Pioneers
In "Florida's Female Pioneers," Dr. Peggy Macdonald examines some of the women who have shaped the Sunshine State. Dr. Esther Hill Hawks, a female physician, ran the first racially integrated free school in Florida (and probably the nation) after the Civil War. Harriet Beecher Stowe kick-started Florida’s tourism industry with her 1873 book, Palmetto Leaves. Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, a pioneering educator and civil rights leader, was the first in her family to be born into freedom after the Civil War and later became one of the first female college presidents in the world. Betty Mae Tiger Jumper was the first and only female Florida Seminole tribal chair and the first elected female tribal chair of any American Indian tribe in the nation. Florida First Lady May Mann Jennings, married to Florida Governor William Sherman Jennings, was a suffragist and conservationist who was known as the most powerful woman in Florida. Florida's "Three Marjorie(y)s"--Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Marjorie Harris Carr and Marjory Stoneman Douglas--are also featured. The talk is illustrated by stereographs and historic postcards from the Matheson History Museum, State Archives of Florida, the private collection of Mimi Carr, and other repositories.
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​Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida's Environment
Dr. Macdonald provides an overview of the life and legacy of the self-described “housewife from Micanopy,” who in reality struggled to balance career and family with her husband, Archie Carr, a pioneering conservation biologist. For 35 years, Carr tirelessly led a coalition of citizen activists in the continuing battle to protect and restore the Ocklawaha River. To this day, this little-known river in the heart of central Florida remains blocked by the remnants of the Cross Florida Barge Canal, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project that Carr and her fellow Florida Defenders of the Environment (FDE) activists stopped before its construction was completed. Dr. Macdonald's presentation is illustrated with images from the collection of Mimi Carr, the Matheson History Museum and other repositories.
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Florida Women's Fight for Suffrage
"Florida Women's Fight for Suffrage" traces Florida's suffrage movement from its origins to early successes with municipal voting in 1915, to August 27, 1920, when Fay Gibson Moulton Bridges became the first Florida woman to vote after the 19th Amendment went into effect. Dr. Macdonald highlights former Florida First Lady May Mann Jennings's efforts to galvanize the Florida Federation of Women's Clubs to fight for equal suffrage. The racial divide in Florida's (and the nation's) suffrage movement is also addressed, including Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune's struggle to help Black men and women exercise their right to vote by offering classes designed to help students pass the literacy test and by fundraising for a poll tax fund. A selection of Florida's most prominent suffragists are examined, along with their strategies to secure the right to vote.
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Florida's First Ladies
Dr. Macdonald shares the fascinating stories of some of Florida’s most memorable First Ladies, from the territorial period to today, and their impact on the Sunshine State. Meet women such as Rachel Donelson, who moved with her second husband, Andrew Jackson, to territorial Florida in 1821; and Martha Starke Peay Perry, who witnessed the rise of secession at the dawn of the Civil War.​
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PREVIOUS EVENTS​
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March 14, 2024
"Florida Women's Fight for Suffrage"
Friends of the Fernandina Beach Library
Fernandina Beach, FL
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January 20, 2024
"Saving Paynes Prairie"
Gainesville Garden Club
Gainesville, FL
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April 22, 2023
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Ormond Beach Historical Society
Ormond Beach, FL
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March 17, 2023
"Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida's Environment"
Martin County Genealogical Society
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March 16, 2023
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Winter Haven Public Library
Winter Haven, FL
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March 31, 2022
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Miami-Dade Public Library System
Pinecrest, FL
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March 25, 2022
Dunedin Public Library
"Florida Women's Fight for Suffrage"
Dunedin, FL
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March 19, 2022
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Reflections of Manatee
Bradenton, FL
Florida Humanities Florida Talks program
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March 12, 2022
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Miami-Dade Public Library System
Coral Gables, FL
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March 5, 2022
"Florida Women's Fight for Suffrage"
Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach, FL
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January 6, 2022
"Florida Women's Fight for Suffrage"
Boyd Hill Nature Preserve
St. Petersburg, FL
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November 20, 2021
"Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida's Environment"
Main Library, Miami-Dade Public Library System
Miami, FL
Florida Humanities Florida Talks program
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November 18, 2021
"Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida's Environment"
Gadsden Arts Center & Museum
Quincy, FL
Florida Humanities Florida Talks program
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October 21, 2021
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Museum of Florida History
Tallahassee, FL
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October 14, 2021
"Carolyn Beatrice Parker, Gainesville's Own 'Hidden Figure'"
Gainesville chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution
Gainesville, FL
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October 7, 2021
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Historic Hernando Preservation Society
Brooksville City Hall
Brooksville, FL
Florida Humanities Florida Talks program
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September 11, 2021
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Heritage Village
Largo, FL
Florida Humanities Florida Talks virtual program
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July 18, 2021
"A Short History of Florida, from the Spanish Colonial Period to the Present"
Sunday Assembly Gainesville
Gainesville, FL
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April 27, 2021
"A Short History of Florida, from the Spanish Colonial Period to the Present"
Union County Historical Society
Lake Butler, FL
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April 22, 2021
"Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida's Environment"
Friends of Wakulla Springs
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March 24, 2021
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Fleet Landing
Atlantic Beach, FL
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March 18, 2021
"Florida Women's Fight for Suffrage"
Beaches Museum
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March 15, 2021
"Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida's Environment"
Marco Island Historical Society
Florida Humanities Florida Talks virtual program
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February 18, 2021
"Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida's Environment"
Instructor
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) virtual class
University of North Florida
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February 4, 2021
"Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida's Environment"
Instructor
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) virtual class
Eckerd College
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October 29, 2020
"Florida Women's Fight for Suffrage"
Guest Lecturer (virtual program)
Florida Lecture Series
Lawton Chiles Center for Florida History
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October 19, 2020
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Instructor
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) virtual class
University of North Florida
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October 11, 2020
"Celebrating 100 Years of the 19th Amendment: Florida Women Breaking Barriers"
Florida Historical Society Virtual Annual Meeting
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September 17, 2020
"Florida Women's Fight for Suffrage"
St. Petersburg College Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions
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August 6, 2020
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Old Courthouse Heritage Museum
Florida Humanities Florida Talks virtual program
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July 15, 2020
Eau Gallie Public Library
"Florida Women's Fight for Suffrage"
Florida Humanities Florida Talks virtual program
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June 27, 2020
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Ormond Beach Historical Society
Guest Lecturer
Florida Humanities Florida Talks virtual program
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June 9, 2020
"A Short History of Florida: From the Spanish Colonial Period to the Present"
North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System
Guest Lecturer
Cisco Webex presentation
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May 7, 2020
"Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida's Environment"
Guest Lecturer
Old Courthouse Heritage Museum
Facebook Live event - Micanopy, Florida
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April 10, 2020
"Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida's Environment"
Guest Lecturer
Manatee Observation & Education Center
Facebook Live event - Lake Alice, Gainesville, FL
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March 12, 2020
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
Matheson History Museum
Gainesville, FL
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March 8, 2020
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
Brechner Speaker Series
Orange County Regional History Center
Orlando, FL
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March 5, 2020
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
Beaches Museum
Jacksonville Beach, FL
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March 4, 2020
"Florida Women's Fight for Suffrage"
Guest Lecturer
Preserve the 'Burg
St. Petersburg, FL
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March 3, 2020
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
Marco Island Historical Society
Marco Island, FL
February 19, 2020
"Florida's First Ladies"
Guest Lecturer
Florida Keys History & Discovery Center
Islamorada, FL
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January 30, 2020
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
19th Amendment Centennial Lecture
Winter Haven Public Library
Winter Haven, FL
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January 18, 2020
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
5th Annual Florida History Con
Museum of Arts & Sciences
Daytona Beach, FL
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January 18, 2020
"Florida Women's Fight for Suffrage"
Guest Lecturer
Hawthorne Historical Museum and Cultural Center
Hawthorne, FL
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January 9, 2020
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
College of the Florida Keys VIP 2020 Lecture Series
Key West, FL
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January 8, 2020
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
Friends of the Pine Island Public Library
Bokeelia, FL
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November 20, 2019
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
Seminole Historical Society & Museum
Seminole, FL
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July 18, 2019
"Gainesville's 150th Anniversary Revisited"
Guest Lecturer
Sunrise Rotary Club
Gainesville, FL
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June 4, 2019
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
Florida Historic Capitol Museum
Centennial Anniversary of the Passage of the 19th Amendment Commemoration
Tallahassee, FL
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April 13, 2019
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
Palm Coast Historical Society
Palm Coast, FL
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March 31, 2019
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
Columbia County Public Library
Lake City, FL
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March 28, 2019
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
Edison & Ford Winter Estates
Fort Myers, FL
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March 23, 2019
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
Coral Springs Museum of Art
Coral Springs, FL
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March 21, 2019
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
Lake Wales History Museum
Lake Wales, FL
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March 14, 2019
"Florida's First Ladies"
Guest Lecturer
The Emerson Center
Vero Beach, FL
March 9, 2019
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
Barberville Pioneer Settlement
Barberville, FL
March 6, 2019
"Marjorie Harris Carr: A Florida Superhero"
Guest Lecturer
Oxbow Eco-Center at the Port St. Lucie Community
Port St. Lucie, FL
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January 31, 2019
The Environmental Legacies of Marjorie and Archie Carr
Panel discussion moderator with Carr family representatives Mimi Carr and Archie Carr III
The Institute for Learning in Retirement at Oak Hammock
Recorded by the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program
Gainesville, FL
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January 19, 2019
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
Hawthorne Historical Museum and Cultural Center
Hawthorne, FL
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January 10, 2019
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
St. Petersburg Museum of History
St. Petersburg, FL
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December 6, 2018
"Florida's Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
Port Orange Regional Library
Port Orange, FL
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November 2, 2018
Founding Families Gala
Presentation of History of Honorees
Matheson History Museum
Gainesville, FL
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October 11, 2018
"Dr. Esther Hill Hawks: A Florida Civil War Diary"
Guest Lecturer
Civil War Roundtable of North Florida
Gainesville, FL
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October 9, 2018
"A Brief History of Alachua County's Citrus History"
Alachua County Historical Commission presentation
Alachua County Board of County Commissioners Meeting
Gainesville, FL
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September 23, 2018
"A Brief History of Alachua County's Citrus History"
Keynote Speaker
Annual Meeting of the Alachua County Library District Foundation
Alachua County Library District Headquarters Library
Gainesville, FL
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September 15, 2018
"Florida's First Ladies"
Guest Lecturer
Friends of Chinsegut Hill annual meeting
Chinsegut Hill Museum and Retreat
Hernando County, FL
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June 15, 2018
"Florida's Three Marjorie(y)s"
Guest Lecturer
The Village at Gainesville
Gainesville, FL
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June 14, 2018
"Florida's Three Marjorie(y)s"
Guest Lecturer
Friends of the Micanopy Library
Micanopy, FL
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May 18, 2018
"The Architecture of Segregation and Desegregation in Alachua County, Florida"
Panelist
Florida Historical Society Annual Meeting
Sarasota, FL
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May 10, 2018
"Florida's Three Marjorie(y)s"
Guest Lecturer
Altrusa International of Gainesville monthly meeting
Gainesville, FL
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April 21, 2018
"Cross Creek Citrus Before and After Rawlings"
Guest Lecturer
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society Annual Meeting
Mount Dora, FL
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April 3, 2018
"Florida's First Ladies"
Guest Lecturer
Oak Hammock at the University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
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March 31, 2018
"Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida's Environment"
Guest Lecturer
Ormond Beach Historical Society
Ormond Beach, FL
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March 27, 2018
"Marjorie Harris Carr: Defender of Florida's Environment"
Guest Lecturer
A. E. Backus Mueum & Gallery
Fort Pierce, FL
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March 10, 2018
"Florida's Forgotten Female Pioneers"
Guest Lecturer
Barberville Pioneer Settlement
Barberville, FL
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February 29, 2018
"Gainesville History: Myth vs. Reality"
Road Scholar series with Sweetwater Branch Inn
Guest lecturer
Gainesville, FL
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February 23, 2018
“The Three Marjorie(y)s and the Fight for Florida’s Future”
Marjory Stoneman Douglas Festival
Museum of the Everglades
Everglades City, FL
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February 22, 2018
"Gainesville History: Myth vs. Reality"
Road Scholar series with Sweetwater Branch Inn
Guest lecturer
Gainesville, FL
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February 19, 2018
"Gainesville History: Myth vs. Reality"
Road Scholar series with Sweetwater Branch Inn
Guest lecturer
Gainesville, FL
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January 30, 2018
Florida Humanities Council Speaker Series
Guest Lecturer
Stetson University
DeLand, FL
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January 18, 2018
Florida Humanities Council Speaker Series
Guest Lecturer
Museum of Florida History
Tallahassee, FL
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January 9, 2018
Florida Humanities Council Speaker Series
Friends of Rookery Bay Lunch & Learn Series
Guest Lecturer
Friends of Rookery Bay
Naples, FL
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January 8, 2018
"Lost Gainesville"
Guest Lecturer
AARP Gainesville monthly meeting
Senior Recreation Center
Gainesville, FL
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May 27, 2017
A Taste of Local History
Pine Grove Apartments
Guest Lecturer
Gainesville, FL
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March 13, 2017
Road Scholar series with Sweetwater Branch Inn
Matheson History Museum and 1867 Matheson House
Guest lecturer
Gainesville, FL
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March 11, 2017
“Hidden History: A St. Petersburg, Florida Grandmother and Her World War II-era
Bomb Factory"
Florida Conference of Historians Annual Meeting
Panelist
Punta Gorda, Florida.
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February 20, 2017
Road Scholar series with Sweetwater Branch Inn
Matheson History Museum and 1867 Matheson House
Guest lecturer
Gainesville, FL
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January 30, 2017
Road Scholar series with Sweetwater Branch Inn
Matheson History Museum and 1867 Matheson House
Guest lecturer
Gainesville, FL
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January 15, 2017
"Dr. Sarah Robb, Alachua County's First Female Physician"
Sunday Assembly Gainesville
Gainesville, FL
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November 15, 2016
Association for Academic Women (AAW) at the University of Florida, Women of Influence Series
Guest Lecturer
Gainesville, FL
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October 21, 2016
United Nations Day
Honorary Chair
Gainesville, FL
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October 19, 2016
“Hidden History: A St. Petersburg, Florida Grandmother and Her World War II-era Bomb Factory”
History Department Colloquium
Stetson University
DeLand, FL
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September 27, 2016
Oak Hammock Institute for Learning in Retirement (ILR)
Guest Lecturer
Gainesville, FL
May 27, 2016
Florida Native Plant Society The Villages Chapter
Guest lecturer
The Villages, FL
May 21, 2016
Florida Historical Society annual meeting
Panelist
Orlando, FL
May 12, 2016
Civil War Roundtable of North Florida
Guest Lecturer
Gainesville, FL
May 11, 2016
Rotary Club of Downtown Gainesville
Guest Lecturer
Gainesville, FL
April 22, 2016
Ed Emery for Congress Earth Day fundraiser
Guest lecturer
Gainesville, FL
April 14, 2016
Putnam County Environmental Council
Guest Lecturer
Palatka, FL
March 30, 2016
Florida's Natural Grove House Visitor Center
Guest Lecturer
Lake Wales, FL
March 17, 2016
Palm Coast Civil War Round Table
Guest Lecturer
Palm Coast, FL
March 13, 2016
Writers Alliance of Gainesville
Guest Lecturer
Gainesville, FL
February 19, 2016
Florida Conference of Historians annual meeting
Panelist
Orlando, FL
January 9, 2016
Micanopy Historical Society
Guest Lecturer
Micanopy, FL
January 8, 2016
Trinity United Methodist Church Seniors Group
Guest Lecturer
Gainesville, FL
December 9, 2015
Retired Faculty of the University of Florida
Guest Lecturer
Gainesville, FL
November 12, 2015
Senior Recreation Center
Guest Lecturer
Gainesville, FL
October 16, 2015
Oral History Association annual meeting
Panelist
Tampa, FL
October 12, 2015
Academia Hernando
Guest Lecturer
Weeki Wachee, FL
September 3, 2015
Suwannee-St. Johns Group Sierra Club
Guest Lecturer
Gainesville, FL
July 20, 2015
Rotary Club of Greater Gainesville
Guest Lecturer
Gainesville, FL
May 24, 2015
Florida Historical Society Annual Meeting
Panelist
St. Augustine, Florida
April 22, 2015
Florida Conversations Series
Tampa Bay History Center
Guest Lecturer
Tampa, FL
April 22, 2015
Cultural Arts Coalition: Earth Day Luncheon in Honor of Marjorie Harris Carr
Keynote Speaker
Gainesville, FL
March 27, 2015
"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Friday Lecture Series
Guest Lecturer
Sanibel, FL
March 21, 2015
Lake Wales Public Library
Guest Lecturer
Lake Wales, FL
March 20, 2015
Gulfport Historical Society
Guest Lecturer
Gulfport, FL
March 17, 2015
Venice Area Historical Society Annual Meeting & Luncheon
Keynote Speaker
Venice, FL
March 2, 2015
Friends of the Eau Gallie Library
Guest Lecturer
Melbourne, FL
February 14, 2015
Florida Conference of Historians Annual Meeting
Panelist
Lakeland, FL
January 15, 2015
Florida Southern College, Florida Lecture Series
Guest Lecturer
Lakeland, FL
December 30, 2014
Florida Trail Association
Guest Lecturer
Doe Lake, Florida
November 19, 2014
Sierra Club Central Florida
Guest Lecturer
Orlando, FL
November 8, 2014
Forever Florida, Remembering Patrick Smith
Guest Lecturer
St. Cloud, FL
October 19, 2014
East End Market
Reflecting Florida: How Agriculture, Art & Activism Shape Our State
Panelist
Orlando, FL
September 14, 2014
Preserve Brevard, Friends of the Carr Refuge and Space Coast Science Education Alliance
Guest Lecturer
Melbourne, FL
June 17, 2014
Matheson History Museum
Guest Lecturer
Gainesville, FL
November 22, 2013
Stetson University Black Student Association
Panelist
DeLand, FL
September 11, 2013
Stetson University
Panel discussion on foreign and domestic policies in the wake of 9/11
Panelist
DeLand, FL
April 24, 2013
Stetson University History Department Colloquium
Research Presentation
DeLand, FL
March 1, 2013
Florida Conference of Historians Annual Meeting
Panelist
Sarasota, FL
February 27, 2009
American Society for Environmental History Annual Conference
Panelist
Tallahassee, FL
May 23, 2008
Florida Historical Society Annual Meeting
Panelist
Sarasota, Florida
October 5, 2008
Florida Defenders of the Environment
A Celebration of Archie and Marjorie Carr
Guest Lecturer
Gainesville, FL