University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 17, Jan. 23, 1997
'Land & Sea' lectures set next month in Lewes

     A Delaware folk artist, slavery in the First State, U.S. tax
policy and the civil service are the topics in the University of
Delaware's 12th annual University by the Sea "Land and Sea
Lecture Series," to be held each Friday throughout February in
Lewes and Seaford.
     Free and open to the public, the lectures showcase some of
UD's finest educators addressing topics related to their recently
published books.
     Designed for the enjoyment and enrichment of those living in
southern Delaware, the lectures will be held at 10 a.m. in the
Virden Center, 700 Pilottown Rd., Lewes, and later that day, at 2
p.m., in the Methodist Manor House, 1001 Middleford Rd., Seaford.
     The series opens on Friday, Feb. 7, with William H.
Williams, University Parallel Program in Georgetown, who will
discuss his book, Slavery and Freedom in Delaware, 1639-1865.
     There are many documents and records about the rich and
famous in history, but there is comparatively little information
about members of less prominent groups that also were important
in shaping our past and present. Williams, an authority on
Delaware history, gives an extensively documented overview of the
history of slavery while looking at the people, the institution
and past race relations within the First State.
     Published by Scholarly Resources Inc., his new book began 10
years ago when Williams wrote The First State, An Illustrated
History of Delaware.
     "While researching that book, I discovered that, although
other Southern slave states had published studies of slavery and
freedom, little had been published about the history of slavery
and African Americans in Delaware," he said.
     In the introduction, he said he decided to write the book to
give a "more accurate depiction of past race relations" within
the state.
     Researching the book was a formidable task because of the
lack of information and records.
     "Delaware is a small state and did not have big plantations
as they did further south where record-keeping was more
important," Williams said. "Most slaves could not read or write,
so they left little written legacy. Research on the Underground
Railroad also was difficult because the people involved were
outside the law and did not want to leave incriminating records,"
he explained.
     A graduate of Drew University, with a master's degree in
education from Yeshiva University, Williams received his
doctorate from Delaware in 1971. He is the author of The Garden
of American Methodism: the Delmarva Peninsula, 1769-1820, The
First State: An Illustrated History of Delaware and America's
First Hospital: The Pennsylvania Hospital 1751-1841.
     On Friday, Feb. 14, Sheldon D. Pollack, accounting, will
speak on his book, The Failure of U.S. Tax Policy: Revenue and
Politics. Pollack, who teaches business law and also is a tax
attorney, examines how our present system got to be the "out-of-
control," overly complex, tangled mess it is today. He details
the explosion of tax legislation during the Reagan years that
first lowered taxes-giving special interests big tax breaks-then
raised them when the deficit soared and the political climate
changed. Pollack also assesses the prospects of reforming the tax
system.
     Americana Crafted: Jehu Camper, Delaware Whittler is the
title of a recent book by Robert D. Bethke, English, and also the
title of his talk scheduled for Friday, Feb. 21.
     As a young man growing up in rural Kent Country during the
early years of the 20th century, Camper witnessed many changes in
everyday farming and community life. To preserve this cultural
heritage, Camper, who lived to be 91, began to create in wood
scaled-down scenes that he had witnessed as a youth. This folk
art legacy is examined in the book as Bethke looks at folk art as
a means to preserve the past, while linking young and old
together with a collective identity and shared experience.
     The series concludes on Friday, Feb. 28, when authors
William W. Boyer Jr., Charles P. Messick Professor Emeritus of
Political Science and International Relations, and Mark
Huddleston, political science and international relations,
discuss their book, The Higher Civil Service in the United
States: Quest for Reform. The book is the story of America's
efforts-largely frustrated-to develop a higher civil service and
examines different administrations' approaches to the problem.
     "The U.S. system of higher administration has not worked. It
has failed presidents. And more important, it has failed the
American people," the authors write. The book concludes with four
proposals to improve the civil service system.
     The Land and Seas Lecture Series is sponsored by the Office
of Alumni and University Relations. For more information, call
855-1620 in Georgetown or 735-8200 in Dover.