“Pop Culture in the Context of 1969”

The Auglaize County Historical Society will host the presentation “Pop Culture in the Context of 1969” with Dr. Matthew Donahue on Monday, April 8, at 6:30 pm at the Auglaize County Public Library, Perry Street, Wapakoneta. Presented in conjunction with the First on the Moon/Apollo 11 anniversary, the event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Matthew Donahue is a lecturer in the Department of Popular Culture at Bowling Green State University, specializing in topics related to popular culture, popular music, film, media and culture and popular culture and the arts.  He has lectured on such topics regionally, nationally and internationally and has served as an authority on popular culture topics for national and international publications.

In addition to his academic work, Dr. Donahue is also a musician, artist, filmmaker and writer.  As a musician, he has released sound recordings in a variety of rock and roll genres. As an artist he uses popular culture as the basis of his artistic creations working in two and three dimensional collage/mixed media, street photography and art cars.  He is an award winning documentary creator of such films as “The Hines Farm Blues Club” and “Motorhead Matters.”  His written work consists of the award winning “I’ll Take You There: An Oral and Photographic History of the Hines Farm Blues Club” and a collection of photography related to his art cars entitled “Taking It To the Streets: An Art Car Experience.” His academic and creative efforts can be viewed at www.md1210.com.

States Historical Society administrator Rachel Barber, “We’re very glad to host Dr. Donahue during the Apollo 11 anniversary. As we know, space exploration occurred within the context of everything else going on in America and around the world. Think of it—Woodstock happened in 1969, as did the tragedy during the Rolling Stones’ concert at Altamont. Sesame Street debuted in 1969, as did the movies Midnight Cowboy, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Easy Rider. The FCC banned all cigarette advertising on television and radio in 1969, President Nixon was inaugurated, and the Stonewall Riots occurred, launching the Gay Rights Movement. The year 1969 would have been memorable even without the Apollo 11 Moon Landing! Dr. Donahue is a very engaging speaker, and we hope many folks will come out to learn about this pivotal time in human history.”

Dr. Donahue’s appearance in Auglaize County is made possible by the Ohio Humanities Council. Since 1972 the Ohio Humanities Council, state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, has provided, leadership, resources, and financial support for the humanities in Ohio. Humanities programs take various forms, such as book discussion, public lectures, historical portrayals, touring exhibits, radio series, and forums. The Council produces and supports programs in every region of the state. For more information visit ohiohumanities.org.

Founded in 1963, the Auglaize County Historical Society collects, preserves, interprets, and shares the history of Auglaize County, enriching lives by connecting people and communities to the past and to each other.

For more information about this event or the Auglaize County Historical Society, please contact auglaizecountyhistory@bright.net or 419/738-9328. The Auglaize County Historical Society is also on Facebook.