Events

Author Berry Craig will discuss Kentuckians and Pearl Harbor on April 10

Well-known historian of the Jackson Purchase Berry Craig will discuss his latest book, Kentuckians and Pearl Harbor: Stories from the Day of Infamy on April 10, 2021 beginning at 10:30 am. The meeting will be on Zoom. As the publisher describes the book, “When the air raid alarm sounded around 7:55 a.m. on December 7, 1941, Gunner’s Mate Second Class James Allard Vessels of Paducah was preparing to participate in morning colors aboard the USS Arizona. In the scramble for battle stations, Vessels quickly climbed to a machine gun platform high atop the mainmast as others descended below decks to help pass ammunition up to gunners. At 8:06, a bomb exploded and the Arizona sank. Vessels’s lofty perch saved his life, but most of his shipmates were not so lucky. In Kentuckians and Pearl Harbor, Berry Craig employs an impressive array of newspapers, unpublished memoirs, oral histories, and official military records to offer a ground-up look at the day that Franklin D. Roosevelt said would “live in infamy,” and its aftermath in the Bluegrass State. In a series of vignettes, Craig uncovers the untold, forgotten, or little-known stories of ordinary people — military and civilian — on the most extraordinary day of their lives. Craig concludes by exploring the home front reaction to this pivotal event in American history. Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor swept away any illusions Kentuckians had about being able to stay out of World War II. From Paducah to Pikeville, people sprang to action. Their voices emerge and come back to life in this engaging and timely history.”

Berry Craig, emeritus professor of history at West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah, is the author of many books on the history of the Jackson Purchase and Kentucky, including Hidden History of Kentucky Soldiers. He is a frequent contributor to our meetings and our Journal as well as writing regularly for area newspapers. He lives in Arlington, Kentucky.

Due to the continuing public health situation, the Jackson Purchase Historical Society will hold its April meeting by Zoom rather than in person. The program is free and open to all. To register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEsfuuvpzMrH9E5CRaSrim49pMmEVMnbV34
If you have issues registering or need join via telephone contact Bruce Dobyns at jacksonpurchasehistoricalsoc@gmail.com or by phone at 309.678.8990. The Society has moved to Zoom meetings to continue its mission of service to the region during the current public health situation. We hope they will bring us together to enjoy the history of our region while we are not able to do so in person as we usually do. The Society hopes to return to its program of public meetings as soon as it is viable.