"Cornette Library at West Texas A&M University, in collaboration with Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum , will present a second panel discussion as part of its World War I programming with “Healing the Peace: The Medical and Psychological Legacies of the Great War” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14 in the Hazlewood Lecture Room at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum.
The program is the library’s second and final presentation of “World War I and America”, a two-year national initiative of Library of America presented in partnership with The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the National World War I Museum and Memorial and other organizations, with generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Tuesday evening panel discussion will explore shell shock in U.S. soldiers and other health issues at the time of World War I. Panelists will include:
• Dr. Annessa Stagner is a WTAMU alumna and current dean of Academic Services at Lamar Community College in Lamar, Colo. Her interest in shell shock began with undergraduate research on the topic as a McNair Scholar at WTAMU. Her interest in the topic continued through her Ph.D. with her dissertation, “Defining the Soldier’s Wounds: U.S. Shell Shock in Perspective.” As a panelist, Stagner will look at shell shock, explain how it is manifested and treated. She also will share any new research she has discovered.
• Dr. Kristin Kuhlmann is director of nursing in the Department of Health and Human Services at Eastern New Mexico University. The former WTAMU faculty member will explore the flu epidemic of 1918 and share how wounded soldiers were treated in general and the medications used along with information on related topics.
• Dr. Lynn Jennings, is a therapist in private practice in Amarillo for the past 13 years with a focus on trauma, trauma-related issues and PTSD. As a panelist, Jennings will look at the changes in the treatment of PTSD from the early 20th century and the World War I era to the present.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Mary Jarvis, assistant director of information and library resources, at 806-651-2225 or mjarvis@wtamu.edu."
-West Texas A&M University
