Blog Archive for October, 2007

As we move through this abnormally temperate fall season, one might think the program schedule would contract in size. In reality, we have added three more events to round out the season. All events will be held in the 2nd Floor Education Center at 30 W. Mifflin and are free to attend. Check out the MUSEUM PROGRAMS link on the tool bar - here is the list:

Tuesday, November 6 - 7pm - “Lessons Learned? Reflections on the 9/11 Commission” with Warren Bass, Deputy Editor, Outlook (Washington Post)

Friday, November 30 - Noon - “A Field Report from Afghanistan: Suicide Bombers in the Forgotten War” with Brian Glyn Williams, Professor of History, UMass- Dartmouth

Thursday, December 6 - 7pm - “Echoes From Vietnam: (Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay) with Craig Werner, Doug Bradley, Charles Hughes, and Ari Eisenberg, UW-Madison

The first two events listed are straight lecture/discussions, but the December 6th event is a special one. December 10, 2007 is the 40th anniversary of the plane crash that claimed the life soul superstar Otis Redding. Redding and several members of his backing band, the Bar-Kays, died when their plane crashed into Lake Monona - only trumpeter Ben Cauley survived. The Veterans Museum felt it was important to honor Redding’s contribution to the canon of music during the Vietnam era. Redding’s posthumous hit, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” resonated with men and women serving in Vietnam with its message about longing for home. UW-Madison Professor Craig Werner and Vietnam veteran Doug Bradley will discuss the song within the context of Vietnam and the veteran experience. Both Craig and Doug are members of the Deadly Writers Patrol writing collective. Prior to their lecture, local singing duo, Radio Sweetheart, will honor us with acoustic versions of three of Redding’s biggest songs. Radio Sweetheart features Charles Hughes (guitar/vocals) and Ari Eisenberg (vocals), both of whom are Ph.D. candidates in the UW-Madison Department of History.

In my previous post, I discussed the arrival of our new Civil War cannon and the upcoming pets exhibit. The pets exhibit is now hanging adjacent to the Museum store and features striking images of Old Abe, Bruin the Bear, Leaky the Lion, and Beertender the Dog, all of whom accompanied Wisconsin soldiers during times of crisis. The exhibit has been getting positive reviews from visitors, and it really looks great on the wall. The show will remain up until late January, when it is replaced by “An Instinct for Light: The Life and Photography of Robert Ellison.”

With regards to the cannon, we are currently planning an event for sometime in early 2008 that will discuss the cannon’s provenance and the process of moving it to the museum. It was quite an operation! Check the website often for updates.

Thanks to those of you who have attended our fall events!

Three things to update you all on today.

1. Today, we took delivery of a cannon that has resided at the GAR Memorial Park at Camp Randall for many decades. Captured by the 14th Wisconsin on April 7, 1862 at Pittsburg Landing, the cannon will now permanently reside in our climate controlled Civil War gallery. Look for a full history on the cannon and a detailed description of how we - with great assistance from the UW-Madison Machine Shop - moved and unplugged the cannon in the near future.

2. Next week, look for a new exhibit called “Let Slip the Mascots of War: Pets in the Military from the Civil War through Iraq.” Using photographs from the WVM Archives, we have put together a very interesting show featuring such notable “pets” as Old Abe the war eagle, Bruin the Bear (12th Wisconsin during the Civil War), Leaky the Lion (32nd Division during the Berlin Crisis), and many others. The photos are very cool and will appeal to anyone who loves animals. Stop by sometime next week and check it out!

3. Well, there is more than one lecture at hand - three of them in the next week, actually. In case you are not on our mailing list or you do not regularly check our websites, here they are:
10.12.07 - Noon - “60 Y ears of AFS in Wisconsin” with Dick Sinclair, WWII ambulance driver
10.13.07 - Noon - “The Ghost Mountain Boys” with author James Campbell, part of the 2007 Wisconsin Book Festival
10.17.07 - 7pm - “The Global War on Terror: A Status Report” with Daniel Benjamin, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute
Each of these events should be fantastic - hope to see you there!