Lecture: “Lincoln’s Lasting Influence” December 5, 2009

Las Cruces, NM –A two part program about Abraham Lincoln will be presented at Branigan Cultural Center on Saturday, December 5th. From 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Dr. Dwight Pitcaithley will speak on Lincoln’s lasting influence. Pitcaithley, former Chief Historian of the National Park Service, is now a professor at NMSU.

At 2:00 p.m. Wayne Crawford will host a poetry reading focusing on Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln had a lifelong interest in both reading and writing poetry. The reading will include poetry by Lincoln, some of his favorite poems, poems written about Lincoln, and poems written to Lincoln while he served as President of the United States.
Area poets who will read include Sheila Black, Peter Brooks, Wayne Crawford, Billy Garrett, Joan Glicker, Michael Mandel, John Pate, Tim Staley, Dick Thomas, Joanne Townsend, and Ellen Roberts Young.

“Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America” is a nationally touring exhibit from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. The exhibit is on display at the Cultural Center through December 18, 2009.

The Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main Street, is located at the north end of the Downtown Mall in Las Cruces. The exhibit and programs are free and open to the public. Galleries are open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information about exhibits, contact the Branigan Cultural Center at (575) 541-2154 or visit the Center’s web site at las-cruces.org/museums.