May 30, 2012
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – “Old Malden“ will be the topic of discussion for a lecture at 6 p.m., Tuesday, June 5, in the Archives and History Library at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston. Attorney and local historian Larry L. Rowe will deliver the free talk and the public is invited to participate.
Rowe will talk about his research and analysis of the history of Malden, and how its race culture is unique because of the heritage of the town as an early American industrial center in a mountain frontier culture where enslaved people worked and were housed alongside employed white workers.
This history centers on what influenced Booker T. Washington to be the leader he came to be. His life in Malden set his belief in hard work, family life and middle-class values, and affirmed his trust in the best ideals of the country, where hard working, freed Americans could be full partners in the abundance of America.
Rowe’s passion for Malden history began with Minnie Wayne Cooper, an African-American leader and educator whose home he purchased. Cooper told childhood stories about Washington visiting Malden to see his sister, Amanda Johnson, who was Cooper’s mother’s best friend. Rowe’s love of West Virginia history began at the knee of his grandmother, Alma Lee, who coached him to win a Golden Horseshoe in 1962.
Rowe is a graduate of West Virginia University’s School of Law and has a master’s degree in public administration from WVU. Rowe served as senior law clerk to U.S. Circuit Judge K. K. Hall before establishing his own law practice. He also served two terms in the House of Delegates and one term in the State Senate.
On June 5, the library will close at 5 p.m. and reopen at 5:45 p.m. for participants only. For planning purposes, participants are encouraged to register for the workshop, but advance registration is not required to attend. To register in advance, contact Robert Taylor, library manager, by e-mail at bobby.l.taylor@wv.gov or at (304) 558-0230, ext. 163. Participants interested in registering by e-mail should send their name, telephone number and the name and date of the session. For additional information, contact the Archives and History Library at (304) 558-0230.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The Division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the Division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
- 30 -
