FSL announces Spring Lecture series
Rolly Prager
The Friends of SaddleBrooke Libraries (FSL) will continue the 2018 Lecture Series on April 19 when Gerry Miller will present “The Indomitable Celestials” at 4:00 p.m. in the MountainView Ballroom. Miller’s presentation will focus on the contribution of Chinese labor in building the Central Pacific portion of the Transcontinental Railroad. The laborers did not call themselves Chinese, but rather “Celestials’ after their homeland which they called the “Celestial Paradise.” As a result, they were often referred to in the press as “Those Indomitable Celestials.” Everything about the Celestials made them the perfect worker on the most rugged and difficult portion of the Railroad. The religion they practiced, the food they ate, the work ethic they practiced, the tea they drank, the amazing physical stamina they displayed, their aversion to alcohol, prostitution and labor strikes all contributed to the “perfect storm” of workers essential to construction of the railroad.
There will be a $5 charge for non-FSL members.
Jan Cleere will be our guest lecturer on May 17th presenting the story of Louise Serpa, “The Woman Who Shot Cowboys.” Anyone who has ever stared down an angry bull coming full throttle across an arena will understand why rodeo photographer Louise Serpa often uttered the adage, “Never Don’t Pay Attention.” Born into New York society, Louise ended up out west with her nose buried in the dirt and her eye glued to a camera, becoming the first woman to venture inside the arena and shoot some of the most amazing photographs of rodeo action. The dust and dirt of the rodeo became Louise’s lifeblood for almost 50 years. The presentation demonstrates the courage and resolve of a woman determined to decide her own fate while ascending to the highest pinnacles of rodeo photography.
Award winning author, historian, and lecturer, Jan Clere writes extensively about the Southwest desert, particularly about the people who first settled the territory.
The lecture will begin at 4:00 p.m. in the MountainView Ballroom. There will be a $5 charge for non-FSL members.