Public history symposium to feature Wright brothers’ relative

Amanda Wright Lane (pictured right at Wright State’s Wright Brothers Day celebration) will deliver the symposium’s keynote address by video.

Amanda Wright Lane, whose great granduncles, the Wright brothers, are among Dayton’s most famous historical figures, will headline Wright State University’s Public History Graduate Symposium on Friday, March 2. Lane will appear by video to give the symposium’s keynote address.

The event gives community members from around the Dayton area an opportunity to explore the region’s fascinating past.

“Dayton and the Miami Valley have such an amazing history,” said Dawne Dewey, director of the public history graduate program and head of the University Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives. “There’s a lot to be proud of and our public history students can help the community learn more about the people, events and stories that connect them with their past.”

Wright State offers a master’s degree in public history with optional certifications in museum studies or archival administration and records management.

Students in the public history program complete research projects and internships with a wide variety of local and regional archives, museums and historical organizations. Their presentations and poster sessions at the symposium will highlight all that they have accomplished and learned during their graduate study.

“I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences and my knowledge of oral history, a social practice that can serve as a method for community activism,” said student Elise Kelly. Her presentation will highlight five local community activists who strive to improve the lives of area Latinos.

Lane, Orville and Wilbur Wright’s great grandniece, will speak about her role as spokesperson for the Wright legacy and the importance of history and heritage in community development.

“Amanda Wright Lane is a longtime friend and supporter of Special Collections and Archives here at Wright State,” said Dewey. “We are honored to have her as our keynote speaker.”

“Amanda can inspire students to continue to use our heritage to educate, instill pride in our region and connect people personally to the past in order to make better decisions for the future,” Dewey said.

The symposium will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Student Union Pathfinder Lounge on Wright State’s Dayton campus.  The event is free and open to the public. Registration will begin at 8:30. Attendees should make their own lunch arrangements.

For more information, contact Dawne Dewey at (937) 775-2011 or dawne.dewey@wright.edu.