Samuel Proctor Lecture Series concludes with new center director

November 17, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The new director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program will talk about race and politics in Florida in the final program in the Samuel Proctor Florida History Lecture Series this semester.

Paul Ortiz will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Pugh Hall Ocora with a talk titled “Building on Sam Proctor’s Legacy: Race, Politics, and Freedom in Florida.” The series is sponsored by the Bob Graham Center for Public Service and the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program.

Ortiz, who received his bachelor’s degree from Evergreen State College in 1990 and his doctoral degree in American history from Duke University in 2000, is in his first year as director of the Proctor program.

“Paul Ortiz is a great addition to the faculty of the history department and the Oral History Program,” said Michael Bowen, assistant director of the Graham Center. “His energy and dedication to the practice of oral history is unmatched in the state. Under his leadership, the Oral History Program will continue to grow and become an even more essential part of our intellectual community on campus.”

Ortiz’s most recent book, “Emancipation Betrayed: The Hidden History of Black Organizing and White Violence in Florida from Reconstruction to the Bloody Election of 1920,” received the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Book Prize from the Florida Historical Society and the Florida Institute of Technology.

“Paul’s scholarship is first rate,” Bowen said. “His interpretation of African-American resistance to Jim Crow and the creation of what he calls a ‘culture of survival’ have enhanced our understanding of race relations in Florida. His talk will no doubt be enlightening and a great way to conclude the first series of Proctor lectures.”

The Samuel Proctor Florida History Lecture Series is made possible by generous donations from the Proctor family and alumni members of the Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity.

The Graham Center for Public Service provides students with opportunities to train for future leadership positions, meet policymakers and take courses in critical thinking, language learning and studies of world cultures. Its mission is to foster public leadership and solve issues related to the Americas and homeland security. It also serves as a magnet to attract distinguished scholars and speakers to Florida.