Penn State laureate and Civil War historian to speak at Penn State Shenango

SHARON, Pa. — Carol Reardon, the 2015-16 Penn State laureate and George Winfree Professor of American History at Penn State, will speak at Penn State Shenango at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 19, in Room 105 of Sharon Hall. The title of her presentation is “History Versus Heritage: The View from Gettysburg.” The event is free and open to the public.Established in 2008, the Penn State laureate is a full-time University faculty member in the humanities or fine arts who is assigned for one academic year to bring an enhanced level of social, cultural, artistic and human perspective and awareness to a broad array of audiences.“As a military historian, I am interested in the causes, conduct, cost and consequences of wars, as well as the lessons we learn or — just as important — fail to learn from these transformational events,” Reardon said after being appointed laureate last year.Reardon’s work focuses on how memory shapes historical interpretation. She is the author of numerous publications, including the award-winning book “Pickett's Charge in History and Memory.” In 2007, she received the coveted George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest award given for teaching at Penn State.In addition to traditional classroom teaching, she also conducts "staff rides" to Civil War battlefields, manages open-air classrooms, and is heavily involved in continuing education for military personnel.For more information about this and other lectures and presentations at Penn State Shenango, call 724-983-2825 or visit shenango.psu.edu.