It
is time for me to send my payment in to reserve a spot at this year’s Civil War
Institute at Gettysburg College. I look forward to the next CWI as soon as the
one I am attending ends.
If you haven’t attended the CWI, it is
an annual gathering of Civil War enthusiasts who have an opportunity to hear
some of the foremost scholars on the subject present talks about various
aspects of the war. This year’s topic is the war in 1863 with an emphasis on
the battle of Gettysburg. Remember, this year marks the 150th
anniversary of that famous three-day battle. You can see this year’s schedule
for yourself at www.gettysburg.edu/cwiconference.
The Institute is held near the end of June every year.
We always go several days ahead of the
CWI so I can walk the battlefield with my Nikon. Then I attend the Institute
for several days and I always leave anticipating the following year’s event.
Dr. Peter Carmichael runs the show
(more properly, he’s the Director of the CWI). Good guy; very personable and
very approachable (even though he is understandably busy during the event).
Everyone involved with the conference has proven to be easy to get along with.
Great folks, all.
I’ve made friends with fellow
attendees and I’ve also been able to talk to some of the presenters. In fact, I
had dinner with two presenters last year in the student dining hall. I’m sure
they were bored nearly to death by talking to me but I learned a great deal.
My primary interest in the conference
is in the scholarship. The presenters are always top notch, as you’ll see if
you investigate the event yourself by following the link above. I want to know
the latest, detailed information on the subject. I want to hear from the
leading scholars in the field of the Civil War. I can do those things every
year at the CWI.
There
are CWI scholarships available for high school students interested in attending
and I don’t see how a student interested in history can fail to enjoy this
conference. The best collegiate history departments in the nation are represented at each CWI.
I stumbled upon the CWI in an odd way:
I was looking for a roster for the Gettysburg College women’s basketball team
back in the days when I announced the California Lutheran University games.
After finding what I was looking for I decided to look into the GC history
department and that eventually led me to the CWI.
It has become a big part of my life.
If you enjoy history, I’d recommend
you look at the CWI website. If you attend once, I believe you’ll want to go every year.
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