Contact: Public Relations
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Florida Lecture Series features
Civil War historian William C. Davis

LAKELAND, Fla. (Feb. 7, 2002) - Florida Southern College welcomes Civil War historian William C. Davis to the Florida Lecture Series on Feb. 21. Davis will discuss his book, "The Honorable Defeat," a narrative history of the final days of Jefferson Davis's cabinet and its flight through Florida as the Confederate government collapsed in the final days of the Civil War. The lecture begins at 7 p.m. in the Hollis Room on campus.

"Our patrons have been eagerly awaiting Civil War historian William C. Davis's program for quite some time," noted James M. Denham, Director of the FSC's Center for Florida History. "Davis is among the most widely read historians in America. The subject of his book is a kind of adventure story of the collapse the Confederacy with Florida as a backdrop. He is an engaging speaker. Visitors to his Feb 21st Florida Lecture Series program are in for a treat!

Davis is co-director of the Virginia Center of Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech University. He has authored over thirty books, including full-length or dual biographies of Jefferson Davis, John C. Breckinridge, Alexander Stephens, Robert Toombs, and Robert Barnwell Rhett. He has also authored full-length studies of several Civil War battles, including Bull Run, Chancellorsville, and New Market.

His other books have covered such varied topics as the Natchez Trace, the Alamo, and various aspects of America's frontier heritage. Mr. Davis is a frequent commentator on the History Channel and has appeared on numerous documentaries. He was formerly editor of the Civil War Times Illustrated.

The Florida Lecture series is free and open to the public. For further information, contact Dr. James M. Denham at (863) 680-4312.

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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