Annual lecture to focus on Hutterite martyrs in World War I

C. Henry Smith Peace Lecture: "Standing in Chains at Alcatraz: When the Hutterites Were Called to War" by Goshen College Professor of Communication Duane Stoltzfus
Dates, times and locations: The first part will take place on Monday, March 12, at 10 a.m. in the Goshen College Church-Chapel. The second part will follow on Tuesday, March 13, at 7 p.m. in the Goshen College Administration Building, Room 28.
Cost: Free and open to the public

GOSHEN, Ind. – Goshen College Professor of Communication Duane Stoltzfus will deliver this year's annual C. Henry Smith Peace Lecture at Goshen College, titled "Standing in Chains at Alcatraz: When the Hutterites Were Called to War" in two parts on March 12 and 13.

The lecture tells the story of four communal Hutterites who were drafted during World War I and reported to Camp Lewis in Washington. When they refused to line up to drill, carry a gun or do work of any kind, they were sentenced to 20 years of hard labor. And so they found themselves in the prison dungeon at Alcatraz. Two returned home to farm again, and two returned home in caskets.

The first part, narrating the story, will take place on Monday, March 12, at 10 a.m. in the Church-Chapel. The second part, a slide show, will follow on Tuesday, March 13, at 7 p.m. in the Administration Building, Room 28. The lectures are free and open to the public.

Stoltzfus, the chair of the Goshen College Communication Department, is the author of "Freedom From Advertising: E.W. Scripps's Chicago Experiment." He serves as copy editor of The Mennonite Quarterly Review.

The C. Henry Smith Lecture, named for a former history professor at both Bluffton University and Goshen College, includes a research grant for the lecturer. The grant is awarded each year to a professor at a Mennonite college, who then presents the lecture at both Bluffton University and Goshen College.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

###

Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S.News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.