Upcoming Monmouth College events, Nov. 20-22

Sienkewicz Lecture on Vesuvius, Associates lunch featuring Bloomer '83, Jazz Ensemble concert

by Barry McNamara

Monmouth, Ill. (11/13/2024) — A busy stretch at Monmouth College from Nov. 20-22 will feature two guest speakers and a concert.

On tap are the annual Thomas and Anne Sienkewicz Lecture on Roman Archaeology, the second Monmouth Associates luncheon of the academic year, and a performance by the Monmouth College Jazz Ensemble.

Sienkewicz Lecture, Nov. 20

At 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20, Pedar Foss, chair of classical studies at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, will present the Sienkewicz Lecture in the Morgan Room on the upper floor of Poling Hall. Titled "Solving the Mystery of Vesuvius: When Exactly Did it Destroy Pompeii?" his talk and free and open to the public.

There has been much argument about whether the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79 happened in summer or autumn, with recent scholarly and popular opinion swinging toward the latter. Foss's investigation reveals that many current arguments are based on "a long trail of sometimes spectacular blunders and misconceptions, and I offer a solution to the mystery of when Vesuvius buried the ancient cities of the Neapolitan coast."

Foss is the author of Pliny and the Eruption of Vesuvius, co-editor of The World of Pompeii and an archaeologist who works on the ancient Bay of Naples and landscape archaeology. He is currently co-director of the Trasimeno Regional Archaeological Project in Umbria and has done fieldwork in Greece, Turkey, Tunisia and Italy.

The lecture series was anonymously endowed to honor Sienkewicz, one of Monmouth's most broadly influential faculty members, who retired as the Minnie Billings Capron Chair of Classical Languages in 2017 after 33 years at the college. His wife, Anne, has been a loyal supporter of archaeology and over the years has hosted countless speakers.

Monmouth Associates, Nov. 21

Veterans Day is very much on people's minds in November, and the Monmouth Associates program, which will be held at noon Nov. 21 in the Whiteman-McMillan Highlander Room in the Stockdale Center, will highlight the military career of alumnus and former Monmouth vice president Steve Bloomer '83.

A retired colonel, Bloomer will discuss parts of his career as a combat engineer officer in the United States Army and the Iowa Army National Guard. He will weave in both military and civilian educational requirements for all service officers in an attempt to provide a better understanding of the U.S. military's commitment to continuous learning and personal and professional development.

Bloomer's presentation is free, but there is a $15 charge per ticket to eat lunch at the event. Individuals attending the meal are asked to make reservations by Nov. 19 at 309-457-2323 or at alumni@monmouthcollege.edu.

Jazz Ensemble, Nov. 22

The Jazz Ensemble will present its fall concert at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 22 in the Kasch Performance Hall of Dahl Chapel and Auditorium. It is free and open to the public.

"Our concert will feature another variety of styles and will once again include some vocal performances, headed by freshman vocalist River Nevel but including a few of our instrumentalists on vocals as well," said Jazz Ensemble director Stephen Jackson.

The repertoire includes some older standards, such as "Over the Rainbow" and "C-Jam Blues," as well as art-rock tunes from the 1970s by Stevie Wonder and Chicago, with what Jackson called "an energetic opening tune from the Japanese anime TV show Cowboy Bebop and a foray into movie music from the Toy Story series."

"The ensemble includes a lot of talented young musicians, nearly half of whom have just begun studying at Monmouth this semester but also including several jazz band veterans," said Jackson.

For those not able to attend, the concert will be live-streamed and then preserved as a concert video on Monmouth College's YouTube channel (search on YouTube for "Monmouth College Jazz Band concert").

More information about the concert or general information about jazz at Monmouth College is available from Jackson at sjackson@monmouthcollege.edu.