"Historically Speaking Series Season 2 Re-Cap"

Working on local history programming during the year long health crisis has been quite an undertaking. As the entire world navigated "the new", the BDC and the Beaufort County Historical Society took a leap of faith that the "Historically Speaking" series Season 2 could go virtual and could do so successfully. I think that we did it. Our statistics proved that all the work was a good return on investment: In all we had 808 number of viewers of the three programs, an average of 269 viewers per lecture. That is not shabby.

But we did not make the Season 2 a success on our own. We had a great deal of help. 

We could not have brought you the three programs of Season 2 without the willing cooperation of our speakers, Suzie Parker DeVoe, Dr. Brent Morris, and Anne Christensen Pollitzer. Each gave freely of their time, talents and research to help us bring local history to you. Without their generosity, we would have floundered.

We could not have done so without the support and cooperation of our colleagues at Beaufort County Historical Society: Nancy Gilley, BCHS Vice President and program coordinator who arranged for the speakers and did their introductions; Leah Roche, BCHS webmaster who posted the event and sent out the emails to their mailing list publicizing the availability of the lectures; and we had the blessing and leadership of BCHS President Lillian Haist who was a steadfast foundation for the season. 

Mister Rogers' advice to "Look for the helpers" was critical to this project. Libraries tend to be peopled with helpers and I am blessed to work among a lot of devoted helpers inside the Beaufort County Library. All my plans would have been dead on arrival if not for willing and able Library staff in other departments who provided crucial and invaluable assistance to bring the lectures to fruition. 

From St. Helena Branch Library for Lecture 2.1: Maria Jones Benac, STH Branch Manager gave us not only a space to film but her experience with the performance arts, dealt with and overcame some unexpected technological challenges during the editing process, and loaned us the time of her staff members, Andrew Newell who operated the equipment on filming day and Viktor Kulik who provided technical support. Her dedication allowed us to make the recording of "Women of Reconstruction" available to you on schedule. 

The Marketing and Communications unit members, Traci Cox and Thomas Schotter, uploaded and helped me publicize all three programs. For Lectures 2.2 and 2.3, we borrowed equipment from St. Helena Branch, filmed in the BDC Research Room with Thomas Schotter as our camera man and the man with the technical skills to execute my editing instructions, image insertions, and never once said to me "OK, Boomer!" Instead he calmly and clearly explained to me about what was possible and why.  

It truly takes a village to make local history programs happen. 

What have I learned from all of this? People are kind and helpful with their skills and talents. It helps to have flexible partners. Anyone of any age can acquire new skills.  During this process, I discovered that I liked being a producer and editor. To be perfectly honest, I discovered that I tremendously liked the editing aspect to the work perhaps most of all. But - and it is a big but - editing also takes a lot more time to do that than I ever expected - even when on the technical side of things all goes well.  Also, I truly miss seeing your faces and bodies assembled in the Library's meeting spaces eager to enjoy the presentations and learn something, perhaps, that you didn't already know about the long and storied history of Beaufort District. I know that I always do!  

JSYK: We are planning on offering "Historically Speaking" Season 3 as in-person lectures in Fall 2021. We are also in negotiations with the Beaufort History Museum about restarting our joint local history program series as well. It's too early to tell how many people we will be able to have in the same place at the same time but we hope to safely gather together again come Autumn.