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Museum group kicks off celebration

Lecture and dinner will mark the community’s bicentennial.

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Staff Report 12:44 PM Friday, March 19, 2010

OXFORD — What better way to celebrate the birthday of Oxford than an exploration of the first 200 years of the community’s history?

This year’s Annual Meeting of the Oxford Museum Association on March 29 will feature the Robert T. Howard Lecture “Historic Oxford ... A Bicentennial Journey.” Valerie Elliott will serve as tour guide for a trip back in time to discover the roots of the unique community and learn of the people, places and events that molded the city.

Elliott has long served as the guardian of Oxford’s community heritage, serving as the director of the Smith Library of Regional History since 1988.

Born in Madison, Wis., Elliott grew up in Oxford, where she received a bachelor’s degree in history from Miami University and then earned her M.L.S. from Indiana University. Following graduation, she worked as assistant librarian at the University of California, San Diego, and then as librarian for a geotechnical engineering firm before returning to Oxford.

Elliott has written close to 50 newspaper articles and co-authored the Walking Tour of the Uptown Oxford Historic District booklet before writing “Images of America: Oxford,” published in 2004.

She also served as an archives editor for the recently published Miami University, 1809-2009: A Bicentennial Perspective.

Valerie Elliott is married to architect J. Elliott and is the mother of two grown sons.

The March 29 annual meeting will begin at 6 p.m. with a carry-in dinner at the Commons Auditorium at the Knolls of Oxford. Participants should bring a casserole, salad or dessert along with table service. Meat and drinks will be provided. Following dinner, activities of the past year will be shared and new board members will be elected.

For those who will be attending the Howard Lecture only, it is anticipated that the program will begin around 7:15 p.m.

Following the program, those in attendance will have an opportunity to purchase Elliott’s book, as well as Elizabeth Johnson’s recently published “To Dwell With Fond Reflection ... Families Who Lived in the McGuffey House 1833-1958” and “Miami University, 1809-2009: A Bicentennial Perspective,” edited by Curt Ellison. Authors will be available to sign purchased books and those who already own these publications may bring their books for signing.

The gathering is open to both members and non-members and is an opportunity for those who would like to become involved in local history to be introduced to the adventures available through the Oxford Museum Association.

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