John Tidwell will be the featured speaker at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Auburn University's Brown Bag Lunch and Learn summer program Monday. his lecture titled "the Untold Story of Native American Slavery" is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, 714 E. Glenn Ave. the general public and OLLI at Auburn members are invited to bring their own lunch and attend.
Tidwell is known for his popular OLLI courses on Native American subjects. These courses include Native American Indian Culture, the Trail of Tears, Indian Warfare, the Creek Indian War, the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, the Fort Mims Massacre and Custer's Last Stand.
"very little is known of slavery among Native Americans," Tidwell said. "I'm in the midst of researching the subject and have been surprised at how little information is available. It's pretty well known that Indians owned black slaves prior to the war, but most folks don't know that thousands of Indians themselves were slaves before and during that time. How and why did that happen? we will take a look at how it all started, how it ended and the effects of it. I'll cover as much as I can during the available time."
After graduating from Auburn University with a bachelor's degree, Tidwell obtained his master's degree from Mississippi State University. In what he describes as a "crazy and exciting career," Tidwell lists the following jobs: high school coach, service in parks and recreation, manager of public facilities in Savannah, Ga. (Civic Center, Grayson Stadium, Johnny Mercer Theater, golf courses, etc.), and executive director of fair Park in Dallas, which included the historic Cotton Bowl, the Texas State fair, Dallas Music Hall, Texas Governmental Center and other public facilities.
He booked major entertainment shows in Savannah and Dallas including the Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Lawrence Welk, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson and others, musing, "You name it, I booked it." along the way, he was in professional baseball for 10 years as player and scout, planned and constructed the original Elvis Presley Park in Tupelo, Miss., and held consulting jobs in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Ontario and British Columbia. He also worked in conjunction with the Summer Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 and as director of operations and facilities manager for the 1994 World Cup soccer competition when it was in the United States. In addition, he is the author of numerous articles for professional journals.
For more information about OLLI at Auburn's Brown Bag Lunch and Learn summer programs, contact OLLI at Auburn coordinator Linda Shook at 334-844-5100 or . Visit the OLLI at Auburn website at olliatauburn.org for information about OLLI programs and activities.
