Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon has announced that actress and writer Michele LaRue will present her interpretation of contemporary writing from the late 19th and early 20th centuries at the county clerk’s 24th annual Archives and History Day on Oct. 12 at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters, 125 Symmes Drive, Manalapan.
At 1 p.m., LaRue will deliver her piece, “Someone Must Wash the Dishes: An Anti-Suffrage Satire.” The presentation is a Public Scholars Project program of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, according to a press release from Hanlon’s office.
A graduate of the University of Kansas, LaRue studied acting and specializes in one-woman productions, for which she tours nationally. She reflects on written materials from “the long 19th century” – the period between the Civil War and World War I – with humor and a keen understanding of historical events, according to the press release.
“Michele LaRue’s presentation is particularly relevant for this year’s Archives and History Day theme, ‘New Jersey in Focus: Four Centuries of Monmouth County Women,’ ” Hanlon said. “We are thrilled she will be showcasing her talent and knowledge as the event’s featured speaker.”
LaRue has participated in events at more than 300 locations, including the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., the Newberry Library, Chicago, and Lincoln Center, New York.
Her presentation for Archives and History Day will incorporate the social and political contexts of the arguments that opponents of women’s suffrage often referenced, according to the press release.
“Archives Day is an incredible opportunity to learn about our county’s history and to meet the people who are dedicated to preserving and sharing it,” Monmouth County Archivist Gary D. Saretzky said. “The featured speakers are always major contributors to that experience.”
In related news, Hanlon announced that the county clerk’s annual Archives Week seminars will be held on Oct. 16 at the county library headquarters with three presentations related to this year’s Archives and History Day theme of “New Jersey in Focus: Four Centuries of Monmouth County Women.”
Walter D. Greason, associate professor and chair of the Department of Educational Counseling at Monmouth University, will lead the first public program, “From the Pines to the Waves: Wealth, Leadership and Historic Preservation” at 9:30 a.m.
Greason’s presentation will focus on the economic patterns of land use and local governance, especially those in Monmouth County, that have historically shaped New Jersey.
At 10:45 a.m., Melissa Ziobro, specialist professor of public history at Monmouth
University, will focus on the marriages between American women and men of
European nobility during the Gilded Age in her presentation, “American Women and Royal Marriages: New Jersey’s Real-Life ‘Lady Coras.’ ”
The day’s final presenter will be actor and storyteller Carol Smith Levin. She will perform at 1 p.m. as Lillian Feickert, who served as the New Jersey Woman Suffrage Association president between 1912 and 1920.
Levin’s presentation will cover the trajectory of New Jersey women’s involvement in the national suffrage movement and the contributions of many women with connections to the state, including Alice Paul, Lucy Stone and the Grimké sisters.
All of the Oct. 16 presentations are free and do not require registration.
For a complete Archives Week program, visit www.MonmouthCountyClerk.com/Archives or call 732-308-3771.