Gordon State College Hosts Third Annual Legacy Lecture
By Karolina Philmon, GSC Marketing Manager
BARNESVILLE, Ga. – On Tuesday, Feb. 22, Gordon State College hosted its Third Annual Legacy Lecture with featured guest speaker Mimi Kirk and special musical performance by the Singing Brothers of Stilwell. The event began at 6:30 p.m. in the GSC Student Activity and Recreation Center (SARC).
Kirk is a writer, editor and administrator based in Washington, D.C. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Smithsonian and Al Jazeera, among other outlets. Kirk is a co-editor of six volumes on Middle East history and politics and currently serves as program manager at the Middle East Studies Association and adjunct instructor at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University. She holds a master’s in cultural studies from Emory University and a master’s in writing from Johns Hopkins University.
“I'm honored to have given Gordon State College's Third Annual Legacy Lecture. As a descendant of General John B. Gordon, for whom the college is named, it was great to discuss Gordon State's past, present, and future with its community,” Kirk said.
Kirk explained that she is the great-great granddaughter of General John B. Gordon’s second son, Frank Gordon. She had first heard of General John B. Gordon as a middle-school student when given an assignment to pick a historic U.S. figure to write about. She heard her mother mention General Gordon and therefore had chosen him as her subject.
“It was very moving to be here. To see people really taking it in and listening, it was moving to experience that with this group,” Kirk said. “It surprised me a little bit by how emotional and moving the conversation was. It was an honor to do it.”
The Singing Brothers of Stilwell was formed in 2017 as a mentor group for young men at Martha Ellen Stillwell School of the Arts in Jonesboro, Georgia. The group is led by Dr. Jimmy Cheek and serves as an extra-curricular organization that seeks to provide male students enrolled and majoring in band, vocal music, orchestra, theatre and visual arts with the opportunity to experience brotherhood, team building and enhanced musicianship through choral music performance. Since its inception, they have received national recognition including being invited to perform at the 2018 National Association of Music Educators Conference in Dallas.
GSC annual legacy lectures has a mission to bring the community and campus together for an evening of music, reflection and everlasting legacy.
“This year’s Legacy Lecture continues to elevate the vision for the program. Ms. Mimi Kirk has a national impact with a local tie. In addition, the well-recognized voices of the Singing Brothers of Stilwell certainly made the evening most memorable. We are delighted to make this level of programming available to faculty, staff, students and our community,” said GSC President, Dr. Kirk A. Nooks.
