Paul Hudson, D.Mgt., professor of business, spoke at the Jan. 4 grand opening of a new exhibit at the Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum that commemorates the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The display includes unique photographs, letters, artifacts, quilts and other items of historic significance. It will be open to the public throughout 2018. The event was covered by WICS, FOX 55 and Illinois Times.

Chris McDonald, Ph.D., professor of political science, presented “From the Sangamon to the Rhine: The Letters and Photographs of Kent Hagler” Jan. 3 in the Paul Mickey Science Series at the Illinois State Museum. Rejected by the U.S. military as a result of a childhood injury, Hagler volunteered as an ambulance driver in the American Field Service. Hagler left his place at Harvard University and his family in Springfield and traveled to France to drive ambulances in support of the French army. Dr. McDonald’s talk examined Hagler’s experiences through the lens of the letters he sent home to his family in Springfield.