Jan. 14 Concert to Kick Off Local Celebrations Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King

CHESTERTOWN, MD––The life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be celebrated with a special concert on Saturday, January 14th, at 4 p.m. in Norman James Theatre at Washington College. The theater is located in William Smith Hall. Ample parking is available on the college campus and along Campus Avenue in Chestertown.

"Songs of the Civil Rights Movement" will feature local talent including Sombarkin, Pilgrim Travelers, New Gospelites, Bob and Pam Ortiz, Mt. Olive Mass Choir, Still Pond Coleman Mass Choir, Sylvia Frazier, Stask and El Piostrowski, Bob and Janet Kelley, Rev. Anthony Brown, and God’s Wealth. The concert is FREE and open to the public. Sponsors include the Chester Valley Ministers' Association, Kent County Arts Council, Washington College's Office of the President, Center for Environment & Society, CV Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, and Office of Multicultural Affairs.

The songfest is one of two events honoring the legacy of Dr. King. The other is the annual MLK Breakfast on Monday, January 16th, at 7 a.m. at the Rock Hall Volunteer Fire Company. Breakfast tickets cost $10 and are available at the door. Contact jtitus2@washcoll.edu or jfairchild2@washcoll.edu or call 410-778-7295 for information.

Father Of A Nation: College Hosts Public Exhibit Of Washington Art And Artifacts February 13-28

Chestertown, MD, February 12, 2003 — In honor of George Washington's 271st birthday, Washington College has opened it archives and assembled its collection of George Washington images and artifacts for public viewing. The exhibit titled “FATHER OF OUR COUNTRY, FATHER OF OUR COLLEGE,” held in the lobby of the College's Tawes Theatre, Gibson Performing Arts Center, is free and open to the public daily, except Sundays, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., from February 13 to February 28, 2003.

Approximately 15 special items selected from over 75 in the College's archives of Washingtonia will be on display, some for the first time in many years. Items on exhibit include a 1784 copy of College founder William Smith's, “An Account of Washington College”; a 1789 commission for Chestertown's customs collector signed by President Washington himself; and various 19th century Washington-inspired busts, lithographs, prints and embroidery.

For the last four months, a small group from the Washington College community has worked to catalog artwork and historical items owned by the College which feature George Washington. This exhibit highlights the College's unique connection to the first president while displaying some unusual historical items rarely seen by the public.

Washington College—the first college chartered in the new nation—was founded in 1782 under the patronage of George Washington, who consented to give his name and financial support to the College, and who served five years on the Board of Visitors and Governors before beginning his presidency. The Washington legacy is kept alive on campus in many ways, including the Washington Scholars Program, the Honor Code, a leadership development program, curricular offerings, and the academic programming of the College's C. V. Starr Center for the American Experience.

This exhibit was made possible by the Washington College's President's Office and the Campus Events and Visitors Committee.