Richard T. Greener

Donald Sweeper brings to life professor Richard T. Greener, the first African American to graduate from Harvard University and the first African American faculty to teach at the University of South Carolina during Reconstruction from 1873-1877.  At the University of South Carolina, Greener reorganized and cataloged the library holdings which were in disarray after the … Read more

Scrooge, “According to Gullah”

This is a Christmas season comedy based on Ebenezer Scrooge from the Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol.  The stage performance features Donald Sweeper acting the part of Scrooge as if he is speaking in the Gullah Language.

A visit from Dr. Ernest Everett Just, Research Scientist

This performance, in which Donald Sweeper portrays Dr. Ernest E. Just Chautauqua-style, is about 35 minutes in length. As Dr. Ernest E. Just, he tells the story of how the doctor succeeded as a research biologist working at the Woods Hold Marine Biology Lab in Massachusetts from 1909 to 1930 while also heading the Zoology … Read more

Robert Smalls “Rising to the Occasion”

This is a stage reenactment which is approximately 35 minutes long in which Donald Sweeper portrays Robert Smalls Chautauqua-style, as if the current year is 1895. Donald Sweeper dramatizes the commandeering of the Planter boat on the early morning of May 13, 1862 as Robert Smalls piloted through the Charleston Harbor undetected by the Confederates … Read more

Missy LeHand Tells All

Marguerite A. LeHand worked for President Roosevelt for more than 20 years as his private secretary, counselor, confidante and friend. In this presentation, Smith wears period costume and speaks with Missy’s Boston accent about her time with FDR. Mid-talk, she removes Missy’s hat, tells “the rest of the story,” and takes questions from the audience … Read more

An Afternoon with Abraham Lincoln

Gerald Y. Pitts performs an original one-act play as Abraham Lincoln. You will hear Abe recount stories of his life from boyhood to presidency. Programs are available for any grade level and of any length.

Frances Perkins, Woman Behind the New Deal (1933–1945)

Perkins became the first female cabinet member, FDR’s Secretary of Labor,  at the rock bottom of the Great Depression.  She came with a “To Do List” –  workman’s compensation, unemployment insurance, old age and health insurance; a minimum wage, a maximum work week,  and the abolition of child labor.  When she left office 12 years … Read more

Mary Draper Ingles, Survivor of the Wilderness, 1755

Talk about a hiking challenge! How about a 500 mile wilderness trek, without food, fire, or weapons, in early winter and while wearing a summer dress? Captured by a Shawnee war party in the French and Indian War and taken more than 450 miles from her home to what is now Cincinnati, Mary Ingles escaped … Read more

54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry & Africans in the Civil War

A brief history of the approximately 180,000 African Americans that served in the Union Army and Navy during the Civil War, with a focus on the history of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the regiment that was portrayed in the award-winning movie, Glory. This presentation is given in a Civil War uniform and includes a first-person characterization.

Edith Russell, Titanic Survivor

Edith Russell, Titanic survivor. Fashion designer and journalist, flamboyant Edith Russell, loved the limelight. As a first-class passenger on the doomed ship, she required a first-class cabin for herself and a first-class cabin for her clothing.  Her vivid, first-hand accounts of the sinking are spellbinding.

Margaret Mitchell, Author of Gone With the Wind

Margaret Mitchell was the author of Gone With the Wind, a book that has influenced the way Americans view the Civil War.  Mitchell was a reluctant celebrity and a brilliant storyteller.  Few people know that her gifts to Atlanta’s historically black college, Morehouse, still fund scholarships for medical students there.

Emily Dickinson, Legendary Reclusive Poet

Emily Dickinson is the legendary reclusive poet from Amherst, Massachusetts.  Although virtually unknown during her lifetime, Dickinson is now considered one of the greatest poets who ever lived.  Her path to publication and her wit will surprise.  Prepare to be entertained by her views on everything from cats to religion.