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History Symposium to Focus on World War II in America

 While our brave soldiers battled Axis forces around the world during World War II, stateside Americans supported the war by rationing food and planting victory gardens. On Saturday, March 9, 2013, Green Spring Gardens will host a seven-hour history symposium, at which attendees will find out what was happening over here while the war was being waged over there. World War II: Life on the Home Front starts at 8:30 a.m. Lunch is included with the $75 fee.

Five distinguished guest speakers will present the home front experience during 45-minute lectures. Wartime fashions will be discussed, and attendees will learn why 1942 was a pivotal year in Green Spring's history. Highlights of the symposium include viewing wartime newsreels, listening to 1940s music, exploring exhibits, and a special appearance by Rosie the Riveter.

Guest speakers include John W. Jeffries, dean of arts, humanities, and social sciences at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Megan Searing Young, director and curator of the Greenbelt Museum in Greenbelt, Md.; Debbie Waugh, historic house coordinator at Green Spring Gardens; Kate Fox, independent scholar and museum educator with Smithsonian Gardens; and Mary Ann Jung, an award-winning actress, writer, and director, and a Smithsonian scholar who portrays famous women from history.

To request a vegetarian lunch, call 703-642-5174. Green Spring Gardens is located at 4603 Green Spring Road in Alexandria, Va. Registration for the history symposium and a brochure is available online.