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Instructor: Kevin Boatright

Biography: Instructor Bio: Kevin Boatright is emeritus director of external affairs in the KU Office of Research. He has a bachelor's degree in English and master's degrees in journalism, history and higher education administration. He studied Canadian history at the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Manitoba, and is a past president of the Midwest Association for Canadian Studies.

Classes by this instructor

Finding the Forgotten: Lost Stories of Four American Soldiers

This class will examine three relatives of the instructor who served in the U.S. Army in World War I and II-and a fourth soldier (unrelated) who fought for the Confederacy. Each had a remarkable wartime story that had been largely forgotten. We'll see how in each case a single clue led to an understanding of their experiences and the sacrifices they endured, and a surprising discovery at the end of each search.

Learn about the search for the forgotten story behind the photos, the letters, and the envelope to discover the "rest of the story" aspect. This class is not a full genealogical study, biographical work or military history but has aspects of each. Primarily, it is a glimpse into the process of discovering information with limited resources (online, archives, publications) when there's very little to start with or go on. Many records are lost or never existed, but enough remain that these four common "lost" soldiers are no longer entirely forgotten.

Instructor Bio: Kevin Boatwright is emeritus director of external affairs in the KU Office of Research. He has a bachelor's degree in English and master's degrees in journalism, history and higher education administration. He studied Canadian history at the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Manitoba, and is a past president of the Midwest Association for Canadian Studies.
June 12-26, 2025, Osher Institute, St. Andrews Office Facility In Person