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Florida Lecture Series begins 2003-2004 season

LAKELAND, Fla. (Sept. 12, 2003) - Florida Southern College's Center for Florida History presents its 2003-2004 Florida Lecture Series with six guest speakers, beginning Sept. 25 and concluding March 4. The lectures will take place at 7 p.m. in the William M. Hollis Seminar Room on the FSC campus. The schedule of events is listed below. All lectures are free and open to the public. 

"Once again, we are extremely pleased to bring the Florida Lecture Series to our students, faculty, and friends in Lakeland and the greater Tampa Bay area. This year's series promises to be one of our finest," noted James M. Denham, Director of the Center for Florida History and FSC history professor. 

Sept. 25: Dr. Michael Gannon, a professor emeritus of history at the University of Florida, will deliver a "History of Florida in Forty Minutes." Gannon has written several books, including the bestseller "Operation Drumbeat" (1990), a history of German U-boat operations along the American coast during World War II. He is considered the foremost authority on the Catholic Church in Florida and is widely recognized as one of America's foremost historians. 

Oct. 9: Drs. David S. and Jeanne T. Heidler, history professors, discuss their book, "Old Hickory's War: Andrew Jackson and the First Seminole War." The Heidlers have collaborated on many editing projects and have co-authored two other books. David Heidler conducts distance-learning classes for the University of Southern Colorado. Jeanne Heidler is a professor of history at the U.S. Air Force Academy. 

Nov. 13: J. Hyatt Brown, chairman and CEO of Brown & Brown, Inc. will discuss "The Politics of Democracy and Where It's Taking Florida." Brown was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1972 and served as speaker from 1978-80. Considered an outstanding businessman, Brown built his family's insurance company into one of the largest publicly owned insurance brokers in the country. He has won numerous awards and was named to the "Top 10 Leaders & Successful CEOs for 2001" by Investor's Business Daily. 

Jan. 29: Dr. Vernon Burton, a professor of history and sociology at the University of Illinois, Urbana, discusses "A Southerner's Civil War." Born in Royston, Ga., Burton is one of America's premier historians and sociologists of the American South. He is the author or editor of more than one hundred articles and seven books, including a Pulitzer Prize nominee, and has received fellowships from numerous foundations. 

Feb. 19: Dr. Vivien Miller, a principal lecturer in American studies at Middlesex University, London, will discuss "From Martin Tabert to Cool Hand Luke: Race, Masculinity, and Prisoner Life in Florida in the First Half of the 20th Century." Miller is author of "Crime, Sexual Violence, and Clemency: Florida's Pardon Board and Penal System in the Progressive Era" (2000). A second book is slated for publication in 2005. 

March 4: Patrick D. Smith, a writer from Merritt Island, Fla., will discuss "Florida: 'A Land Remembered.'" Smith is considered one of Florida's greatest writers of fiction. His novels include "The River is Home," "The Beginning," "Forever Island," "Angel City," "Allapattah," and "A Land Remembered." He has won numerous awards, including the Gold Medal of the International Mark Twain Society, and has received nominations for Pulitzer and Nobel prizes. 

About the Florida Lecture Series 
The Florida Lecture Series is produced by the Center for Florida History and sponsored by the FSC Alumni Association, the Robert and Rose Stahl Criminology Lecture Series, and the Robert W. and Susan E. McKnight Political Affairs Lecture Series. The program brings speakers to the Lakeland campus who approach the issue of "Florida Life and Culture" from a wide range of disciplines, including history, public affairs, law, sociology, criminology, anthropology, literature, music and art. Its overall objective is to create an opportunity for members of the community, faculty, and student body to listen to, interact with and learn from leading scholars and specialists of the state's history and culture. 

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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