James L “Skip” Rutherford (Courtesy photo)The Washington County Historical Society will celebrate Statehood Day with a lecture by Skip Rutherford, dean emeritus of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.
The event will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 11, at First Christian Church, located at 220 N. College Ave. in Fayetteville.
Rutherford’s lecture, “When the World was Watching Arkansas: The 1992 Presidential Election,” will focus on a unique time in the state’s history when media attention on Arkansas was intensive.
Before his tenure as dean, Rutherford played a key role in the planning, construction, and opening of the Clinton Presidential Library and Park in Little Rock. An alumnus of the University of Arkansas, Rutherford was the first recipient of the School of Journalism and Strategic Media’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. His career in communications and public relations includes serving as a visiting professor at Lyon College, the University of Arkansas, the University of the Ozarks, and the University of Central Arkansas. He has also been awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree from Hendrix College.
The event will also feature a performance by Loco Focos, a Tulsa area band known for its Civil War era music. The band will perform traditional tunes such as “Oh, Susannah!”, “Nelly Bly,” and “Arkansas Traveler.”
For more events from the Washington County Historical Society, visit the organization’s website.
