History lessons

The 27th annual Great Lakes History Conference, a daylong event sponsored by the GVSU History Department, will be held Saturday, October 26, at the Eberhard Center in Grand Rapids.

The theme of this year's conference, 'Culture and Social Change,' will be addressed in 24 panels on historical topics by more than 60 presenters. Richard Stites (above) of Georgetown University will deliver the keynote address, 'Slavery, Freedom, and the Arts: The Creative Serf in Tsarist Russia,' after lunch.

Sessions begin at 8:30 a.m. and end with a reception at 5 p.m. Admission is $18 for the general public; free for GVSU faculty, staff and students. The annual conference draws more than 100 history buffs and experts from throughout the region. For a complete list of History Conference events and a registration form, see www.gvsu.edu/history/glhc.html . For more information contact Shelby Hughes at (616) 895-3298.