News

Today has been busy, as tomorrow will be. I rose at 4:00 a.m., worked my online classes till 6:15 and was on the way to Oklahoma by 7. I picked up my mom and dad and brought them to my Aunt Winnie’s house in Garland. After my aunt treated us to a supper at Cheddars, I left them in her care and headed for the nearest Starbucks so I could make a post and check on my classes. Tomorrow I take my dad in for his surgery, and hopefully (if his pacemaker doesn’t need to be replaced) be on the way back to Oklahoma by tomorrow night. Thursday I’ll spend with them and help with chores, then drive to Houston on Friday. I’ll spend the night with friends there, and on Saturday I’ll make my presentations at the Lake Jackson Historical Museum. Their motto is “Dedicated to the Preservation of Our Heritage.” Here is the article the local paper is running about the event:

Rickey E. Pittman is a 1998 grand prizewinner of the prestigious Ernest Hemingway Short Story Competition. Originally from Dallas, Texas, he earned a bachelor’s degree in New Testament Greek and a master’s degree in English from Abilene Christian University. Pittman has produced numerous plays, works of nonfiction, collections of poetry, and short stories. A certified Gifted & Talented secondary English teacher, he currently teaches freshman English at Delta Community College and the University of Louisiana in Monroe, Louisiana.

The Lake Jackson Historical Museum is proud to host Mr. Pittman as he presents two Civil War programs on Saturday, February 28th at the Lake Jackson Historical Museum located at 249 Circle Way in Lake Jackson.

At 10 am, Mr. Pittman will conduct a children’s program, followed by a book-signing, based on his children’s book, Jim Limber Davis: A Black Orphan in the Confederate White House. This accelerated reader selection tells the true story of how Jim Limber, a free black orphan, was adopted by the Jefferson Davis family during the Civil War. The story offers an example of compassion during this complex time in our nation’s history. Mr. Pittman will recount the Jim Limber Story through period dress, a Civil War ‘show and tell’ table, and period music.

At 2pm, Mr. Pittman will conduct a second program, also followed by a book-signing, based on his third book, Stories of the Confederate South, an anthology of short fiction presenting a variety of Southern characters, events, and issues that capture the spirit and passion of the South. Through careful research of diaries, biographies, historical events, and social trends Mr. Pittman will summarize Texas’ role in the Civil War, discuss the techniques and difficulties of writing about the Civil War, and present a reading from his book.

The Texas 15th Infantry, a Civil War reenactors group, will also be camped outside the Museum to demonstrate life in a civil war camp.

You won’t want to miss these exciting programs! Rickey Pittman promises to captivate, educate and entertain audiences of all ages with his programs.
All books are available for purchase in the Museum gift shop or bring your own copy to have signed by the author.  For more information please call 979-297-1570 or visit www.lakejacksonmuseum.org.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Caulkins
Museum Director
Lake Jackson Historical Museum