2015 Surratt Conference

[L Verge]

Top on the list is Terry Alford with Fortune's Fool. He will be signing at Friday night's reception and during breakfast and lunch on Saturday before he heads for another conference in D.C. A special guest will be Jennifer Loux, who will be signing her late-father's wonderful John Wilkes Booth Day by Day. Jennifer took over the final work with publisher McFarland after her father's death. She is also the one who has guided the Surratt House project to replace the historic marker at the Garrett Farm through the Virginia governmental network that controls such sign placement.

Our own Betty Ownsbey will be signing her updated Alias Paine, and speaker Dr. James Marten will be there with his bio on Cpl. James Tanner, the amazing double amputee who took down the statements of those being questioned as Lincoln lay dying.

Scott Trostel, our expert on the Lincoln funeral train will be at the Authors' Hour as will Frank Williams, editor of the Enigma of Mary Lincoln, and Harold Holzer with his Lincoln and the Press book that just won the Lincoln Prize. Fred Hatch's new book on the injustice of the military court will have him at the authors' tables. Rich Smyth's and Jim Garrett's new book is so new that I can't remember it's name! However, we're rushing it in for them to sign. And, Wild Bill Richter will be signing his latest historical novel, The Assassinator.

John Fazio is hoping to have his book, Decapitation of the Nation, out in time also. In addition, we will have a small display of Booth material by Society member Tom Gordon and his son in the same area. This will be from 4:30-5:30 on Saturday before the doors open for the banquet at approximately 6:30 that evening.

I have not been in to work for nearly a week because these wobbly legs don't enjoy testing them through snow and slippery conditions - not to mention very low temperatures. I didn't think I would ever say this in 2000 when we started our conferences, but I'm a little concerned about space during the conference. Come prepared to become very close friends with people on either side of you! We are trying to keep a classroom setting where attendees have table space in front of them on which to write notes, lean against, or even put their head down and take a nap. However, such an arrangement takes up more space than theater-style seating with just chairs to perch on.