Lincoln Assassination Conference

[L Verge]

It's mid-September, and that's the time that the Surratt House Museum and its volunteer affiliate, The Surratt Society, begin gathering all the arrangements for their spring conference into a concise package to mail to over 1500 members. I'm going to jump the gun and post here a little teaser of what will be offered on the weekend of March 15-17, 2013, as we present the 14th annual conference. This year's theme is Lincoln's Assassination: More Will Be Revealed.

The conference begins on Friday, March 15, with a bus tour into Washington, D.C. to visit history-related sites. This year's tour will go to the new National Museum of Health and Medicine to view primarily the Civil War and assassination exhibits. Lunch will be at the Blair Mansion Inn, once the home of some of Lincoln's supporters - the Blair family. After lunch, we will visit the African American Civil War Monument and Museum, where curator Hari Jones will speak and accompany us on a tour. Surratt House Museum had Mr. Jones as a speaker recently, and he was absolutely one of the best speakers I have ever heard -- and I have heard quite a few over the past forty years!

The bus will return to the museum about 5 pm, and the event will officially open with a welcoming reception at our James O. Hall Research Center that evening.

The venue will then move to the Colony South Hotel down the street for Saturday's full schedule of speakers, Authors' Hour, banquet, and evening program. We are taking full advantage of our members' historical talents this year. All speakers except one are members of the Surratt Society AND OF THIS FORUM.

Betty Ownsbey will update us on Lewis Powell discoveries since her book was published nearly twenty years ago; Tom Bogar will be speaking on his new book on the actors, actresses, and staff at Ford's who were affected by the assassination; Dr. Blaine Houmes will discuss medical mysteries among the conspirators; Wes Harris will offer Part II of his popular talk from last year on Tools of the Assassins; Dave Taylor will present on the Garrett family; and Dr. Kenneth Heinneman will be speaking on Thomas Ewing, Jr., the lawyer and subject of his new book.

An Authors' Hour will follow for 5-6 authors with new offerings - including a new forum member here, Glenn Cheney. Then we will proceed to a banquet followed by a presentation by Erik Jendresen, one of the driving forces behind the docu-drama being produced by National Geographic Channel for release in February next year. Erik and others are responsible for making the film version of O'Reilly's book, Killing Lincoln, more historically accurate than the book.

On Sunday morning, a bus load will leave the hotel for an abbreviated tour over the escape route of John Wilkes Booth. Ford's Theatre has become difficult to get into before the crowds, and Surratt House will have been available for tours on Friday. Therefore, the bus will head straight to the Dr. Mudd House to begin the tour and proceed on the regular itinerary to the site of Garrett's farm in Virginia.

In order to keep the conference affordable and economically attractive, the Surratt Society absorbs much of the costs for staging the conference. Registration is $170/person ($20 late fee for registering after March 1). The hotel reduces its room rates to $104 + tax/night for our registrants, and they provide a complimentary breakfast - on Saturday morning, we have our own breakfast buffet in the conference area that is literally a groaning board. The two bus tours are priced separately for those who wish to participate in them.

The full conference packet with schedules, bios, trip itineraries, etc. will be mailed from the museum the first week in November. If anyone seeing this announcement is not a member of the Surratt Society, but would like to receive the conference packet, please e-mail your name and address to me at laurie.verge@pgparks.com, and you will be added to the mailing list for the conference.

Better yet, visit our website at http://www.surratt.org and consider joining the Society for $10/year. The biggest perk of being a member is the monthly newsletter - 12 to 16 pages of good history each month.

That's it - would I make a good used car salesman with my come-on pitch?

[Rsmyth]

Laurie, you have encouraged me to attend my first ever conference. This sounds too exciting to miss!

[Jim Garrett]

Do it Rich!

[RJNorton]

Indeed, Laurie. I'd even buy this from you! Only the "older" folks on the forum will recognize what kind of car this is.

[BettyO]

Oooohh yes! My dad had one just like it when I was about 5 years old -- and it was the same color!! As a matter of fact, I remember the night we bought this car! HA!

[LincolnMan]

Edsel!

[Laurie Verge]

Roger,

How did you get a picture of my back yard?

[MaddieM]

(09-13-2012 04:48 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  Indeed, Laurie. I'd even buy this from you! Only the "older" folks on the forum will recognize what kind of car this is.

Digressing slightly, here in the UK we have Vintage Car Fairs, and I saw my very first Oldsmobile a few months ago. It was the most amazing car I've ever seen. Immaculate. Talk about a feast for the eyes. It probably did 2 miles to the gallon, but what the hell. Those old fifties cars were summat else.

[emma1231]

That Edsel probably looks even older than Bob Cook's buckboard!
Great news about the upcoming symposium! (or "Conference as you prefer calling it, Laurie). FLASH TOM HANKS IS GOING TO BE THE NARRATOR OF THE UPCOMING NAT'L GEOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTARY, "KILLING LINCOLN" !!!!

[HerbS]

That Edsel was our mode of transportation to go from Kalamazoo,Mich To St.Louis,Missouri! It was opening game for St.Louis against the Dodgers.Yes-Roger-Sandy K against-Bob G.I forgot who won!-!964

[BettyO]

That is FANTASTIC, Richard! Love Hanks and he has a wonderful voice -

[HerbS]

Laurie-Don't be alarmed if I go out and buy an Edsal just to come to the best Conference on Earth!That's if the car can make it thru the Mts.of Pa.in March!

---

Laurie-I just talked to a very close friend who owns a Used Car and Auto Parts in Muskegon,Michigan.He is looking for an Edsal as we speak.He will paint on the Side of Car,"Surratt Conference or Bust"!

[Laurie Verge]

Herb - I can always count on you to make me laugh! You also agree with me when I get mad. We've never met, but you becoming one of my best friends.

[HerbS]

Thanks Laurie-When it comes to Lincoln Assassination History and Wisdom,"You Are The Last Word"!See,now we have to meet!

[BettyO]

Here's the latest posting -

TV BLEND
[b]Tom Hanks to Host Killing Lincoln for Nat Geo[/b]
Author: Leslie Kasperowicz
published: 2012-09-13 11:12:34

National Geographic Channel has tapped a multiple Oscar-winner and Hollywood A-list star to host their upcoming two-hour special investigating the death of Abraham Lincoln. Tom Hanks has signed on to fill the role of narrator commentator and host for the special, which is based on the book by Bill O’Reilly.

The special will combine live action with CGI animation to look into the conspiracy behind the assassination of one of America’s best-loved Presidents. The Killing star Billy Campbell has been cast in the role of Lincoln for the live action segments of the special. John Wilkes Booth will be played by Jesse Johnson, who most recently appeared in the Spanish series Con el culo al air, and Gran Torino’s Geraldine Hughes will play Lincoln’s wife Mary. The special has now added some serious star power with Tom Hanks, according to Deadline

Killing Lincoln is expected to air on Nat Geo in 2013. It was the final project of the recently deceased Tony Scott, who was on the special as an executive producer alongside brother Ridley Scott. Hanks will re-team with Band of Brothers writer Erik Jendreson, the two worked on that special together as well. Adrian Moat of Gettysburg (which Billy Campbell also appeared in) will be directing the special.

Bill O’Reilly’s bestselling book, Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever looks into the behind the scenes details of what remained the most shocking assassination of a President until John F. Kennedy’s death just shy of a hundred years later.

http://www.cinemablend.com/television/To...46868.html