Published: August 12, 2008 08:01 am         

’Wick to host Lincoln series

Classes, exhibits to begin Sept. 2

By Denise Richardson
Staff Writer

ONEONTA _ Hartwick College’s connections to the days and issues surrounding Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War and the end of slavery will be the focus of lectures, exhibitions, courses and other programs during this academic year. “The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial: Honoring the Role of Hartwick College Personalities and Local Citizens in the Journey to Freedom” a series that will highlight the ties between Abraham Lincoln’s legacy and Hartwick’s past, according to Harry Bradshaw Matthews, associate dean and director of pluralism studies.

Hartwick College classes start Sept. 2, and at least two exhibits will open Sept. 5, according to the schedule. Hartwick’s reunion and homecoming weekend is Sept. 5 to 7.

Nationally, Congress created the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission to plan a “fitting and proper” national celebration of the 16th President’s 200th birthday in 2009. The ALBC aims to renew Americans’ appreciation of Lincoln’s ideals of freedom, democracy and equal opportunity, and to encourage all people to “live the legacy.”

The ALBC mission of the ALBC is to commemorate the 200th birthday of Lincoln, emphasize the contribution of his thoughts and ideals to America and the world and serve as a catalyst for strengthening freedom, equality and opportunity, according to the commission’s website at www.lincolnbicentennial. gov.

At Hartwick College this academic year, topics to be presented include Lincoln’s interactions with leaders of the Underground Railroad, the Civil War and the anti-slavery movement, a media release said.

Also, the roles of pertinent residents of the Oneonta area and the college will be presented, according to the release. Some figures include the Rev. John Lawyer, a Hartwick trustee who founded the abolitionist Franckean Synod; Samuel Nelson, a Hartwick trustee who served as associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court during the Dred Scott Decision; and Isaac Newton Arnold, a Hartwick alumnus and congressman who joined Lincoln in pushing through decrees to end slavery.

``It will place prominent figures in Hartwick College’s history front and center,” Matthews said in a prepared statement. Those connections, among others, give Hartwick College historical context up to the Civil War, he said.

The symposium, which will include faculty-student research, is sponsored by the Hartwick College Honor Society, various academic departments, the Office of Student Life and the city of Oneonta’s Commission on Community Relations and Human Rights.

For a schedule of events, many of which are open to the public, visit the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial events page at the Hartwick College website at www.hartwick.edu.