Dr. Maness publishes book of Civil War letters
Dr. Don Maness, dean of the College of Education and a professor in the Teacher Education Department, has authored the book, “Do They Miss Me at Home?: The Civil War letters of William McKnight of the Seventh Ohio Volunteer Cavalry." The book was published this spring by Ohio University Press. Maness, an avid Civil War enthusiast,  co-edited the book with Jason Combs, an associate professor of geography at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Combs was an assistant professor of geography at ASU from 2001-2007. William McKnight, the subject of the book, was a member of the Seventh Ohio Volunteer Cavalry from September 1862 until his death in June, 1864. Capt. McKnight was killed in action near Cynthiana, Ky. During his time of service, McKnight, a blacksmith before the war, wrote dozens of emotion-filled letters, primarily to his wife Samaria, revealing the struggles of the family both before and during the war. After McKnight's death, Samaria was left a widow with six young children. She never remarried and mourned him for the rest of her life. The book contains more than one hundred letters, providing in-depth accounts of several battles in Kentucky and Tennessee, including the Knoxville and Cumberland Gap campaigns that were pivotal events in the western theater of the Civil War. The book is available through the Ohio University Press and at Amazon.com. For details, contact Dr. Don Maness, ext. 3057, or see the NewsPage release.

Dr. Kyriakos, Dr. Clark present lecture/recital
Dr. Marika Kyriakos, Music, and Dr. Lauren Schack Clark, Music, presented a lecture/recital entitled "The Collaborative Pianist: Singsational Scenarios" at the combined conference of the Kansas and Missouri Music Teachers Associations, recently held in Olathe, Kan. This lecture/recital has also been accepted for presentation in dvd format at the European Piano Teachers Association's World Piano Conference in Novi Sad, Serbia, August 26 - 31, and it was previously presented live at the Music Teachers National Conference/National Association of Teachers of Singing Conference in Milwaukee, Wis., in March. Dr. Kyriakos adjudicated for the National Guild of Piano Teachers Auditions in the Philadelphia area in May. Dr. Clark was a planner for the conference of the Arkansas State Music Teachers, a group for which she has just begun a 2-year term as president. 

KASU's Bluegrass Monday presents the Bartley Brothers
KASU 91.9 FM presents the Bartley Brothers Monday, June 28, at 7 p.m. at Atkins Celebration Hall, 101 South Pruett Street, in downtown Paragould. The concert is part of the Bluegrass Monday concert series presented by KASU 91.9 FM. Admission is free, but KASU will literally pass the hat to collect money to pay the group. The suggested donation is $5 per person. From eastern Kentucky, the Bartley Brothers are 42-year-old Shayne Bartley and 56-year-old Rick Bartley.  Shayne Bartley has been a professional bluegrass musician since he was 18 years old, and he has performed with bluegrass musicians J.D. Crowe, Don Rigsby, and Dave Evans and was a member of the bluegrass band Lost and Found. Rick Bartley recently retired from a 30-year career outside the world of bluegrass music. However, throughout his career, he kept playing and writing songs, which have been recorded by bluegrass greats J.D. Crowe, Junior Sisk, and Jeff Parker. Last year, the brothers created a new, professional bluegrass band, including Jayd Raines, former bass player for country and bluegrass singer Marty Raybon, dobro player Glenn Gibson, and banjo player Josh Hymer, an in-demand picker with an extensive bluegrass resume. The Bartley Brothers' debut cd for Rural Rhythm Records will be released later this summer. For more information about the group, including samples of music, visit the Bartley Brothers online at ReverbNation.  Bluegrass Monday concerts are held on the fourth Monday night of each month. Visit Bluegrass Monday online at MySpace music. Area bluegrass musicians are invited to come to Atkins Celebration Hall beginning at 5 p.m. for an open jam session. Musicians are asked to bring only acoustic instruments and to play only bluegrass music. The jam sessions will end promptly at 6:45 p.m. For details, contact KASU program director Marty Scarbrough, ext. 2367.

Wilson Advising Center staff to relocate temporarily
Due to ongoing construction at the Wilson Advising Center, Wilson staff will move to the Learning Support Center effective Wednesday, June 23, until further notice. The Learning Support Center is located on the first floor of the Dean B. Ellis Library, Room 100 (enter through the main library and take the stairs or elevator down to the ground floor).

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