Austin College will host 1985 alumnus and history professor William Kerrigan presenting the address, “Johnny Appleseed: St. Francis or Steve Jobs?,” Friday, October 24, at 1:30 p.m. in Hoxie Thompson Auditorium of Sherman Hall. The lecture, sponsored by the ‘Roos Who Write Conference and the Austin College History Department, is free and open to the public.
Kerrigan, the Cole Distinguished Professor of American History at Muskingum College in Ohio, wrote the book Johnny Appleseed and the American Orchard: A Cultural History, published in 2012. The book tells the story of Johnny "Appleseed" Chapman’s life, as discovered during Kerrigan’s 15 years of research that included following by boat, on foot, and by kayak several portions of Appleseed’s path.
The Amazon.com review of the book includes, “Creating a startling new portrait of the eccentric apple tree planter, William Kerrigan carefully dissects the oral tradition of the Appleseed myth and draws upon material from archives and local historical societies across New England and the Midwest. The character of Johnny Appleseed stands apart from other frontier heroes like Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, who employed violence against Native Americans and nature to remake the West. His apple trees, nonetheless, were a central part of the agro-ecological revolution at the heart of that transformation. Yet men like Chapman, who planted trees from seed rather than grafting, ultimately came under assault from agricultural reformers who promoted commercial fruit stock and were determined to extend national markets into the West. Over the course of his life, John Chapman was transformed from a colporteur of a new ecological world to a curious relic of a pre-market one. Weaving together the stories of the Old World apple in America and the life and myth of John Chapman, Johnny Appleseed and the American Orchard casts new light on both.”
Kerrigan is visiting Austin College in connection with the ’Roos Who Write Conference that will continue during Homecoming Weekend on the campus and involve numerous alumni engaged in writing—from novelists to song writers to academics. Austin College Professor of English Carol Daeley is coordinating the event. For more information on the conference, see www.austincollege.edu/rooswhowrite.
At Muskingum, Kerrigan teaches courses in American history and his research interests are in the antebellum and Civil War eras, as well as American cultural and environmental history. He is the author of numerous articles and oral history projects. The teacher, who has won several Muskingum teaching and service awards, participated in a five-week National Endowment for the Humanities Seminar on American Maritime History in Mystic, Connecticut, in 2012. He also serves a Muskingum archivist and, with students, has completed several archive projects and exhibitions, including “Muskingum: The First 175 Years” during the 2011-2012 academic year.
After completing his Austin College degree, Kerrigan earned a master’s degree at Texas Christian University and a Ph.D. at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter
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