The scourge of polio – and the public health crusade that defeated it – will be featured in Polio: A Look Back at American’s Most Successful Public Health Crusade, part of The 1950s: Affluence and Anxiety in the Atomic Age program series at Macomb Community College’s Lorenzo Cultural Center.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author David M. Oshinsky will highlight the frantic race to find a polio vaccine, the ethical dilemmas in human testing, and the way the campaign against polio revolutionized both philanthropy and medical research in the United States. Oshinsky’s presentation will begin a 7 p.m., Thursday, March 31, with a special Meet & Greet reception with the author at 5: 30 p.m.
Author of several books, Oshinsky won the Pulitzer in 2006 for Polio: An American Story, a gripping account of the terror polio inflicted and the intense effort to find a cure. He currently holds the Jack S. Blanton chair in history at the University of Texas at Austin and is a distinguished scholar in residence at New York University. Oshinsky also has received recognition from the Bloomberg (John Hopkins) School of Public Health and the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University for his contributions to public health.
“Professor Oshinsky’s insight into the battle against this frightening disease is unparalleled,” said Christine Guarino, director of cultural affairs at Macomb. “He is sought out frequently by the New York Times, Washington Post and other national publications for his insights on the events of the mid-20th Century.”
Oshinsky’s presentation is the second in a Speaker Series featuring award-winning authors and historians. The remaining presentations in the series are:
•McCarthyism to Terrorism, featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning author Haynes Johnson, April 14
•The Russians are Coming! Eisenhower and the Cold War, featuring author Susan Eisenhower, the granddaughter of the former Army general who served as president in the 1950s, May 5
Tickets are required for the Speaker Series presentations, all of which begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday evenings. Tickets for each presentation are $15, or $5 for seniors, students, and military personnel. Individual tickets to a single presentation that includes the Meet & Greet reception are $20. To purchase tickets, call 586.286.2222 or visit www.MacombCenter.com.
The series also features more than two dozen free presentations, as well as two free exhibits in the cultural center, Atoms for Peace – a display of lithographs on loan from the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History – and Affluence and Anxiety in the Atomic Age – a multimedia exploration of life in the 1950s. Most of the other presentations during the series are free, but do require advance registration by calling 586.445.7348.
The Lorenzo Cultural Center is open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sundays. Additional information on the center and on The 1950s program series is available at www.LorenzoCulturalCenter.com. Group visits are welcome during the series and may be arranged by calling 586.445.7348.
About the Lorenzo Cultural Center
The Lorenzo Cultural Center (www.LorenzoCulturalCenter.com) explores the influences and experiences that shape our community's heritage, examining topics from a variety of perspectives and creating interactive opportunities for learning, celebration and entertainment. Located on Macomb Community College's Center Campus, Hall and Garfield Roads in Clinton Township, the cultural center is adjacent to the Macomb Center for Performing Arts.
About Macomb Community College
Macomb Community College (www.macomb.edu) is one of the nation’s leading community colleges, providing learning experiences to more than 48,000 students annually. Macomb nationally ranks in the top two percent in the number of associate degrees awarded and as the largest grantor of associate degrees in Michigan. The college’s comprehensive educational programming includes pre-collegiate experiences, university transfer and career preparation programs, bachelor degree completion and graduate degree programs, workforce training, professional education and certification, and continuing education and enrichment opportunities.
Media Contact:
Tish Wirth
Communications & Community Relations
Macomb Community College
586.445.7560
wirthp@macomb.edu