JFK Opening and Lecture

Through an exhibit of 77 historic photographs, the Union Museum of History and Art is remembering the presidency of John F. Kennedy, who died tragically 60 years ago this fall. Opening reception for the exhibit will be at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 10, and will feature a lecture by Ralph W. Brown, Ph.D., professor of history at the University of Louisiana-Monroe. The event is free and open to the public. Dr. Brown’s talk will center on Kennedy’s background and his reception in North Louisiana.

The exhibit, “American Visionary: John F. Kennedy’s Life and Times,” is being loaned by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. It brings together images culled from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Getty Images, private collections, and the Kennedy family archives. The dramatic scope of Kennedy’s life is evident in these photographs—from his first congressional bid as a decorated war hero in 1946, his fairytale marriage to Jacqueline Bouvier in 1953, his run for the White House in 1960 and role as commander in chief, to the tragedy of his death in Dallas in 1963. These images remain as indelible evidence of John Kennedy’s personal charisma and political accomplishments.

Dr. Brown currently teaches courses that include the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Louisiana History, U.S. Military History, 1865-present, World War II, History of Warfare, History of England, and Western Heritage. He received his B.A. and M.A. from James Madison University and his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.