UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 5, Page 3
September 30, 1993
75th anniversary; Armistice Day remembered with lecture, publication

     A professor and graduate student in the Department of History are
working with the Delaware Heritage Commission to mark the 75th anniversary
of Armistice Day, which ended World War I and put it in perspective for
Delawareans.
     Ray Callahan, professor of history, will speak on "The First New World
Order: Britain, the United States and World War I," at 7:30 p.m., Thursday,
Oct. 7, in the Collins Room of the Perkins Student Center.
     His free public talk is sponsored by the commission and the student
center.
     According to Callahan, his talk will provide a backdrop for World War
I commemorations in Delaware.
     The configuration of power and the decisions made after World War I
are having a profound effect on the world today, Callahan said.
     Although Great Britain, the United States and France strove for a new
and better world under the leadership of Lloyd George, Woodrow Wilson and
Geoges Clemenceau, their attempt to create a new order was difficult and
basically unsuccessful, he said.
      "Yugoslavia was created at that time and Middle Eastern and Eastern
European boundaries were established. We are living with the consequences
and problems created by these decisions today," he said.
     The decisions were, in part, based on a belief in self-determination,
sometimes dictated by policies at home and sometimes made in a hurry
without an understanding of what was involved. Wilson, in particular,
thought he could shape the 20th century, as some think we can shape the
21st century.
     "My talk is a cautionary tale," Callahan said, " in which the best
possible intentions can lead to the worst possible results."
     High school and middle school students will be briefed about World War
I during this anniversary year, thanks to the efforts of University of
Delaware graduate history student Laurel Richie. She has compiled a 39-page
book of WWI materials, entitled Remembering the First World War,  for
middle and high school social studies teachers. It is being distributed
through the commission during September.
     A social studies teacher at the Independence School, Richie, who also
served on the committee planning the commemoration, began the project last
March and finished it in August.
     "The 75th commemoration is a splendid opportunity for teachers to make
history relevant," Richie said. What is happening today has its roots in
World War I, and countries are still fighting for self-determination.
     "In the book, war is not idealized. I included poetry by Siegfried
Sasson, who served in the war, which graphically describes the horrors and
the dark brutality of war. To make history come alive, I think you have to
invoke the emotional component as well as the factual," she said.
     The book also contains activities for students, such as puzzles and
games, plus a chronology of WWI and a short history of Fort Du Pont,
located on the Delaware River in Delaware City
     "We have included all kinds of material so that teachers can use the
book for an in-depth look at World War I or select activities to highlight
Armistice Day," Richie said.
     Other activities related to the Celebration and sponsored by the
Delaware Heritage Commission include a WWI encampment on Oct. 9 at the
Governor Bacon Parade Grounds at Fort Du Pont. It will include lectures,
songs, and dramatization, with displays of U.S., France, Great Britain and
German military gear and settings. During the day, there will be guided
walking tours of Fort Du Pont, with emphasis on its service during WWI.
Vintage automobiles from the period and a flyover of World War I planes
also are scheduled.
     For information, call 577-2144.
                                             -Sue Swyers Moncure