Dr. Jamil S. Zainaldin, President of the Georgia Humanities Council, to speak at Whitfield-Murray Historical Society Meeting on Sunday, May 20
The Whitfield-Murray Historical Society will hold its next meeting on Sunday, May 20, 2012, at 2:30 p.m. at the Rock Building (old Murray County High School), 1004 Green Road, Chatsworth, Georgia. The public is cordially invited to attend.
The featured speaker will be Dr. Jamil S. Zainaldin, president of the Georgia Humanities Council since 1997. His presentation is entitled “Five Georgia Events that Changed History.” The meeting will also be the occasion of the Society’s annual presentation of historic preservation awards and scholarships.
Before assuming his present position, Dr. Zainaldin was president of the Washington-based Federation of State Humanities Councils. He has served as deputy director of the American Historical Association, as staff director of a U.S. Congressional Task Force on Social Security and Women, and as issue development director of the National Council of Senior Citizens.
Dr. Zainaldin was co-founder of the Georgia Center for Character Education, served on the Governor’s Commission on History and Historical Tourism, and was the Governor’s appointee to the Georgia Historical Records and Advisory Board. He is president-elect of the Georgia Association of Historians, and is involved in the effort to create a Georgia State History Museum.
Many Georgia historians and researchers will be familiar with the website “The New Georgia Encyclopedia” (http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org). Zainaldin spearheaded this pioneering effort for an online encyclopedia, in partnership with the Office of the Governor, the University of Georgia Press, and the University System of Georgia/GALILEO. The site has been recognized for excellence by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the New York Times, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and USA Today.
Zainaldin holds the BA in History from the University of Virginia and the PhD in History from the University of Chicago. He has taught at Northwestern University, Case Western Reserve University, and Emory University. He is author and coauthor of two books on American history as well as numerous articles on the subject. He is a frequent writer and speaker on the public humanities, the value of the liberal arts for life preparation, citizenship, and the humanities and civil society.
The site of the meeting, the Rock Building, is itself a historic site in Chatsworth. Built in 1934, the building (the old Murray County High School) was devastated by fire in 2009, and renovated 2010. Following the meeting a tour of the building will be offered.
The Whitfield-Murray Historical Society encourages the public to join us for this occasion. Everyone is welcome!
