Wednesday, October 21
Author LOU URENECK, Boston University
The Great Fire at Smyrna and the genocide of the Ottoman Greek and Armenian population
120 Andersen Library
3:30 PM - Light reception and exhibition of YMCA Archives
4:00 PM - Talk and Q&A with the author
5:00 PM - Book signing
CHGS, with the University of Minnesota Libraries, was pleased to present a talk by Boston University professor and journalist Lou Ureneck on his recently published book, The Great Fire: One American's Mission to Rescue Victims of the 20th Century's First Genocide, the harrowing story of a Methodist Minister and a principled American naval officer who helped rescue more than 250,000 refugees during the persecution of Armenian and Greek Christians, published to coincide with the Armenian genocide’s centennial in 2015.
Professor Ureneck conducted much of his research in writing the book in the U of M Library's extensive Kautz Family YMCA Archives, highlighting the University’s unique ability to place historic events in context, and provide primary sources for study and scholarship. A previous interview with Ureneck is available here.
Ryan Bean, Archivist with the Libraries, introduced the collections, and Department of Political Science faculty member Catherine Guisan provided a brief overview of the history and politics of the time. Books were available for sale at the event, and the author did a signing following the talk, attended by about 60 people.
Co-organized by the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Kautz Family YMCA Archives, co-sponsored by the Center for Modern Greek Studies, the Immigration History Research Center Archives, the University of Minnesota Libraries, and the Arsham and Charlotte Ohanessian Chair.
