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Florida historian speaks at Florida Lecture Series

LAKELAND, Fla. (Nov. 6, 2001) - Florida Southern College welcomes author and historian Dana Ste. Claire to the Florida Lecture Series on Nov. 15. St. Claire will discuss his book, "Cracker: The Cracker Culture in Florida History" beginning at 7 p.m. in the Hollis Room on campus.

"We are extremely pleased to have Dana Ste. Claire as a speaker in this year's lecture series," said Dr. James M. Denham, FSC professor of history and director of the Center for Florida History. "Dana is a dynamic speaker, and his book comes perhaps as close as anything in print to explaining what it means to be a 'Florida Cracker.' It's certainly a program folks won't want to miss."

St. Claire is Director of Museum Services for HTA, a national corporation specializing in heritage tourism services in markets across the United States. A Florida native, he resides in St. Augustine and consults in the areas of heritage tourism, historic preservation, and cultural resource management. He is currently a member of the Secretary of State's Heritage Tourism Committee, and sits on the Board of Trustees of the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, the Board of Directors of the St. Augustine/St. Johns County Visitor and Convention Bureau, and the St. Augustine Historic Architectural Review Board.

Ste. Claire has written three books, including "Cracker: the Cracker Culture in Florida History," "Borders of Paradise: A History of Florida through New World Maps," and "True Natives:

Florida's First People." He was a featured columnist with the "Orlando Sentinel" for ten years and his "Florida Crackerbarrel" episodes continue to run on PBS channels.

The Florida Lecture Series is free and open to the public.

About Florida Southern College
Florida Southern is a four-year, private, co-educational liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The college offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and a master of business administration degree accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Located in Lakeland, Fla., the college is home to the largest, single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world.

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