StC News
Williams-McElroy Endowment brings historian and writer Dr. Nelson Lankford to StC
Historian and writer Dr. Nelson Lankford, who retired in 2014 as vice president for programs at the Virginia Historical Society, visited StC on Monday, October 22, 2018. Dr. Lankford’s appearance was made possible by the Williams-McElroy History Endowment, established in 2014 to promote the study and understanding of history.
Dr. Lankford spoke about the 1918 Influenza pandemic (Spanish flu) and how it ravaged the globe as World War I was coming to a close. The Influenza outbreak infected 1/3 of the world’s population and killed more than 50 million people, more than double the number of deaths caused by World War I. In Richmond alone, nearly 1,000 people died from the flu, with thousands more infected. Dr. Lankford described how the local community responded to treat patients and in particular how distinguished alum Jack Williams ‘19 heroically volunteered to help transport the sick. He ultimately contracted the virus and died. You can learn more about Jack Williams ‘19 in a chapel talk that Head of School Mason Lecky gave on September 17, 2018, here.
Previous speakers brought to StC by the Williams-McElroy endowment include Richmond Battlefield Park Ranger Mike Gorman, Pulitzer Prize Finalist and New York Times best-selling author S.C. Gwynne, author Dean King '81 and Dr. Charles Bryan.
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