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History professors lecture on
Andrew Jackson at Florida Lecture Series

LAKELAND, Fla. (Sept. 29, 2003) - Florida Southern College's Center for Florida History welcomes Drs. David S. and Jeanne T. Heidler, history professors, to the Florida Lecture Series Oct. 9. The Heidlers will discuss "Old Hickory's War: Andrew Jackson and the First Seminole War," from their book, "Old Hickory's War: Andrew Jackson and the Quest for Empire (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2002). The lecture will start at 7 p.m. in the William M. Hollis Seminar Room on campus, and a book signing follows the presentation. The lecture is free and open to the public.

"David and Jeanne Heidler's work on Andrew Jackson and the events surrounding the First Seminole War and the U. S. acquisition of Florida will astonish and dismay those who look upon Old Hickory in romantic terms," stated James M. Denham, director of the Center for Florida History and professor of history. "Few figures evoke as much controversy as the Tennessean whose image casts a long shadow over Florida's early years as a U. S. territory. It will be an interesting evening." 

The Heidlers received their PhDs at Auburn University where they met and married as graduate students. After a decade of teaching in the Maryland university system, they relocated to Colorado where Mrs. Heidler is a professor of history at the U.S. Air Force Academy. For several years, Mr. Heidler was scholar-in-residence at the University of Southern Colorado, and he currently conducts distance-learning classes for the school's history department. The Heidlers have collaborated on numerous projects, including editing "The War of 1812, An Encyclopedia" (1997), "Encyclopedia of the Mexican-American War" (1999), and "Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Social, Political, and Military History," which recently received the Society for Military History's Distinguished Book award for 2003. Along with "Old Hickory's War," the Heidlers have also coauthored "The War of 1812" (2002) and "Manifest Destiny" (2003). They are currently completing a study of Andrew Jackson's role in shaping American identity as well as a social history of the early republic.

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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