Edward J. Wooldridge, Pres.            Gary Cowardin, Editor    
13700 Lintel Lane                      1404 Lorraine Ave.       
Midlothian, VA 23113                   Richmond, VA 23227-3735  
edwool@verizon.net                     cowardin@juno.com        
 May 2009 Program

Gerald J. Prokopowicz

"Did Lincoln Own Slaves and 
Other Frequently Asked Questions About Abraham Lincoln?"

8:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 12, 2009, at the
Boulevard United Methodist Church, 321 N. Boulevard,
Richmond, VA (corner of Boulevard and Stuart Ave.) Enter
the basement door on the right side under the front steps.

Gerald J.  Prokopowicz served for nine years as scholar-in-residence  at
the  Lincoln  Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the nation's largest museum
dedicated to the life and times of Abraham Lincoln.  In his position  he
answered  thousands  of questions about Abraham Lincoln from over 50,000
visitors to the museum  each  year  wishing  to  learn  more  about  the
nation's most famous president.  Many of these questions found their way
into his 2008 book Did Lincoln Own Slaves?  and other  Frequently  Asked
Questions About Abraham Lincoln.                                        

Dr.   Prokopowicz's  presentation  at  our  May meeting will look at the
public's ever evolving interest in Abraham Lincoln as reflected in  some
of the more controversial questions asked about him, including the title
question: Did Lincoln own slaves?                                       

Dr.  Prokopowicz holds a law degree from the University of Michigan  and
a  Ph.D.   in history from Harvard University.  He is currently chair of
the history department at East  Carolina  University.   Prior  to  that,
while  serving as the resident Lincoln Scholar at the Lincoln Museum, he
helped create  the  award-winning  exhibit,  "Abraham  Lincoln  and  the
American  Experiment,"  and edited the bulletin Lincoln Lore.  His first
book, All for the Regiment: The Army of  the  Ohio,  1861-1862  received
critical  acclaim.   He  also hosts an online radio show, Civil War Talk
Radio.  Dr.  Prokopowicz is a  member  of  the  Advisory  Board  to  the
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the Lincoln Forum.          


MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

As of this writing, our membership stands at 203.  Thanks to all of  you
for renewing your membership; and a special thanks to the 22 individuals
who joined as sustaining members.                                       

A final reminder: 2009 dues were due and payable as of March  15,  2009.
If  you  have  not  yet  renewed your membership for this year, you have
until May 12, the date of our next membership  meeting  to  do  so.   As
required  in  our  bylaws, after that date, you will be dropped from our
membership roll.  Should you choose to rejoin later, you  will  need  to
pay the $25 initiation fee as well as your annual dues.                 


Reservations Now Being Accepted for RCWRT Tour

(Seats still available.)

The Richmond Civil War Round Table will have its annual  bus
tour  on  Saturday,  June  6.  This year we will examine the
Culpeper area during the war.  Our daylong trip  will  leave
from  Mary  Munford Elementary School at 7:30 a.m.  en route
to Kelly's Ford.  We will enjoy lunch at the Graffiti House,
then  ride  to  the  battlefield  at  Brandy  Station in the
afternoon.  The bus will return to Richmond at 5 p.m.       

We are  proud  to  announce  that  Greg  Mertz,  a  longtime
historian  with  the  Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National
Military Park, will be our guide.  His  area  of  expertise,
the  cavalry, will be an emphasis of this tour.  Cost of the
trip is $25 per person and payments are now being  accepted.
You may mail your check to:                                 

			David Whitehead                     
			4305 Cary St. Rd.                   
			Richmond, VA 23221                  



Notice the newsletter is now a little wider.
Compare the older style article above with the newer style below.


We Need Your Help

Over the next few months a  committee  headed  by  John  Coski  will  be
looking  at  the way we, the RCWRT, communicates with its members.  This
is being brought on by the costs for all  our  activities  such  as  the
costs  of bringing in good speakers (food & travel), meeting facilities,
postage, paper, printing and the other costs  of  doing  our  roundtable
business.                                                               

The committee includes the past and present newsletter editors.  We will
be looking at how money can be saved dealing with communications.  There
are some options such as quarterly or yearly newsletters listing all the
speakers  and  monthly  postcards  or better yet - YOU CAN HELP BY USING
YOUR E-mail address if you have internet access.  In the latter case  an
E-mail  will  be sent to you with the URL for that month's communication
such as the one for this letter below.  You  can  then  print  your  own
paper  copy  if  you  want. (URL = Universal Resource Locator this is an
internet location address or in other words an internet link.)          

https://members.tripod.com/~g_cowardin/rcwrt/052009.htm

If you noticed my name in the URL, this is because the RCWRT web site is
within my original site dating back to the mid 90's.  I did this to save
the RCWRT the costs of space on the web since I have other sites already
on  line  that  are  paid for.  At this time the RCWRT just pays for the
URL: rcwrt.org (When you go in through rcwrt.org my  site  name  is  not
shown.)                                                                 

At present a paper copy will still be sent to  those  who  do  not  have
internet access.                                                        

If  you have an E-mail address and internet access and are not currently
E-mail receiving your newsletter notification please let me know ASAP.  

My E-mail address is:  cowardin@juno.com

Upcoming Events


Visit the The Museum of the Confederacy Online Events Calendar
for MOC Events Calendar:

http://www.moc.org/site/PageServer?pagename=visit_cal


Pamplin Historical Park
and
The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier

Special Events Calendar:

http://www.pamplinpark.org/events.html


RCWRT Monthly Speakers for 2009


Richmond Civil War Round Table Newsletter
Gary Cowardin, Editor  
1404 Lorraine Ave.     
Richmond, VA 23227-3735

cowardin@juno.com