Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive News and Updates

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

VNCA 2013 Conference Registration

The Vietnam Center and Archive’s 2013 Conference, Vietnam: 1963, will be held at the National Archives in Washington, DC on Sept. 26-28th, 2013.  The conference is free and open to the public.  Seating in the McGowan Theatre is limited, and due to the high level of interest in this conference, the VNCA is opening online pre-registration.  Pre-registration will guarantee you a seat in the theatre.

The conference agenda is also available online.  More information is available at www.vietnam.ttu.edu/conference.htm

Online Registration Form

Conference Agenda

Monday, July 1, 2013

The Guest Lecture Series Presents Dr. Patrick Hagopian

Dr. Patrick Hagopian is a Senior Lecturer in History at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom and is the author of The Vietnam War in American Memory: Veterans, Memorials and the Politics of Healing, an in-depth examination of the development of many of the Vietnam War memorials in the United States and the vital role the Vietnam Veteran community played in their creation. Dr. Hagopian will be donating his papers relating to the writing of this well received work to the Vietnam Center and Archive and will speak about the collection and his experiences in writing his book on US Vietnam War memorials on Thursday, July 18th at 3:00pm in the Formby Room of the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library on the TTU campus.  The talk and collection viewing is free and open to the public.

The mission of the Vietnam Center and Archive Guest Lecture Series is to enrich the intellectual and cultural life of students, faculty, and the community at large by bringing distinguished individuals to campus for presentations on specific aspects of the Vietnam War, its lasting impact on American politics, society and culture, and on contemporary issues in Southeast Asia.

This lecture series is funded in part by a generous grant from the Helen Jones Foundation.  For more information on the 2013 VNCA Guest Lecture Series see http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/GLS, or contact Mary Saffell at 806-742-9010 or mary.saffell@ttu.edu.

Posted by at 6:35 am
Labels: announcements,Guest Lecture Series
Monday, May 27, 2013

Memorial Day 2013: A Day of Remembrance

On this Memorial Day, the Vietnam Center and Archive remembers all of the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for us and our freedom.  Thank you.

In honor of Memorial Day, the Vietnam Center and Archive will be closed today.

Posted by at 7:00 am
Labels: announcements
Monday, April 29, 2013

Reminder: The VNCA’s APAHM Film Festival Concludes This Week With Three Films

The Vietnam Center and Archive’s 5th Annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) Film Festival concludes this week with three films.

On Tuesday, April 30th, in the Formby Room of the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, “The Beautiful Country,” will be shown.  Set in 1990 Vietnam, Binh, born to a Vietnamese mother and a US soldier father, endures extreme prejudice and great hardship due to his heritage. The film stars Damien Nguyen, Nick Nolte, Bai Ling, Chau Thi Kim Xuan, Tim Roth, Anh Thu, Temuera Morrison, and John Hussey.

On May 1st, also at 6:00pm in the Formby Room, the third film of the APAHM film festival, “Hideko the Bus Conductress,” will be presented. A 1941 Japanese film based on a short story by Masuji Ibuse, the film is comedic and jovial, but bravely critiques the military and big business synergism of pre World War II Japan.

The film festival concludes on May 3rd at 6:00pm, again in the Formby Room, with a presentation of “A Story of Floating Weeds,” a 1934 Japanese film about clandestine lovers being torn apart by deceit, jealousy, and family dynamics and secrets.

All film showings are free and open to the public.  For more information about the films and the APAHM Film Festival, visit www.vietnam.ttu.edu/2013filmfestival.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

5th Annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Film Festival

The Vietnam Center and Archive is proud to present four films as part of our 5th Annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) Film Festival from April 25th-May 3rd.  The first film, “New Year Baby,” will be shown at 6:00pm on April 25th at the Helen DeVitt Jones Auditorium of the Museum of Texas Tech University.  A lecture and Q&A session with the filmmaker, Socheata Poeuv, will follow the film at 7:30 as part of the Vietnam Center and Archive’s Guest Lecture Series (www.vietnam.ttu.edu/gls), and is cosponsored by the Museum of Texas Tech University.

The second film, “The Beautiful Country,” will be shown on April 30th at 6:00pm in the Formby Room of the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library.  On May 1st, also at 6:00pm in the Formby Room, the third film, “Hideko the Bus Conductress,” will be presented.  The film festival concludes on May 3rd at 6:00pm, again in the Formby Room, with a presentation of “A Story of Floating Weeds.”

All film showings are free and open to the public.  For more information about the films and the APAHM Film Festival, visit www.vietnam.ttu.edu/2013filmfestival.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Vietnam Center and Archive Email and Phone Numbers

Texas Tech University is in the process of transitioning to a new communications system.  Over the next few days the Vietnam Center and Archive will be converting to the new system.  Today (Friday), our departmental email addresses are being transitioned.  During this transition, the following addresses are unavailable:

vietnamarchive@ttu.edu
vietnam.center@ttu.edu
vawebmaster@ttu.edu
vaoralhistory@ttu.edu
vahc.vietnam@ttu.edu
vietnamcenterconference@ttu.edu

Messages sent to these addresses may result in an Undeliverable response.  Messages that have been sent during the transitiion will not be delivered, so you will need to resend them to our new address vnca@ttu.edu, or call us at 806-742-9010.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

The Guest Lecture Series Presents Karl Marlantes

The Vietnam Center and Archive is proud to present author and Vietnam veteran Karl Marlantes on Thursday, March 28th at 7:00pm in the Lanier Auditorium of the Texas Tech University School of Law.  The lecture is free and open to the public.

Karl Marlantes is the bestselling author of Matterhorn: a Novel of the Vietnam War and What it is Like to Go to War. The latter title was named a top book of 2011 by Amazon.com. The Washington Post called it “a well-crafted and forcefully argued work that contains fresh and important insights into what it’s like to be in a war and what it does to the human psyche.” A graduate of Yale University and a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, Marlantes served as a Marine in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation Medals for valor, two Purple Hearts, and ten air medals.

Marlantes will be available to sign books following the lecture, and books will be available for purchase before and after the lecture.

This is the second lecture in the Vietnam Center and Archive 2013 Guest Lecture Series.  All lectures are free and open to the public.

The mission of the Vietnam Center and Archive Guest Lecture Series is to enrich the intellectual and cultural life of students, faculty, and the community at large by bringing distinguished individuals to campus for presentations on specific aspects of the Vietnam War, its lasting impact on American politics, society and culture, and on contemporary issues in Southeast Asia.

This program was made possible in part with a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. This lecture series is funded in part by a generous grant from the Helen Jones Foundation.  For more information on the 2013 VNCA Guest Lecture Series see http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/GLS, or contact Mary Saffell at 806-742-9010 ormary.saffell@ttu.edu.

Posted by at 6:00 am
Labels: announcements,Guest Lecture Series
Friday, March 8, 2013

In Memory of Dr. John Buesseler, 1920-2013

Col. John Buesseler, August 1970 - Photo by Capt. James B. Evans [va035803]

Col. John Buesseler, August 1970 – Photo by Capt. James B. Evans [va035803]

It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the death of a great friend, Dr. John Buesseler, who passed away on Thursday, March 7, 2013. For more than four decades, Dr. Buesseler has been an important member of our community in Lubbock, at Texas Tech University, and at TTU Health Sciences Center.  Dr. Buesseler is perhaps best known as the founding dean of the TTUHSC School of Medicine. In addition to his remarkable work in that position, he also served many patients as a practicing ophthalmologist and was very active in historical preservation projects in West Texas, to include founding the Texas Aviation Heritage Foundation, Incorporated (TAHFI) and bringing the Silent Wings Museum to Lubbock. Perhaps less widely known was his essential role in the founding and success of the Vietnam Center and Archive at Texas Tech University. Dr. Buesseler worked very closely with Dr. Jim Reckner, founding director of the Vietnam Center and Archive, along with many other supporters, and in 1989 they established what has become the most comprehensive archive of Vietnam War materials outside the U.S. National Archives.  As a veteran who served during World War II and the Vietnam War, both of these projects remained very near and dear to him until the end of his life.

Born in 1920, Dr. Buesseler is a member of that amazing generation of young Americans whose coming of age corresponded with the Great Depression, the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the many terrible struggles that ensued in Europe and Asia during WWII. Following his service in Europe, Dr. Buesseler returned home, got married to his wonderful wife, Cathy, and they pursued a life together in medicine and teaching. In early 1970, as a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves attached to the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam, he organized and conducted a study of the US military medical evacuation system (also called MEDEVAC or DUSTOFF), a program that served as the foundation for the current helicopter medical evacuation system in place throughout the United States today.

Dr. Buesseler and Dr. James Reckner at the 2011 Vietnam Center Symposium

Dr. Buesseler and Dr. James Reckner at the 2011 Vietnam Center Symposium

Arriving in Lubbock in late 1970 to assume the founding deanship at TTUHSC, Dr. Buesseler then dedicated his life to the health and well-being of his patients, the education of TTUHSC students, and to the improvement of our community. He remained very active in both TAHFI and the Vietnam Center and Archive, serving on both boards and continuing to provide extensive support, guidance, and encouragement. The legacy of these two projects alone will remain as a testament to his vision, leadership, generosity, and devotion to Lubbock, TTU, and TTUHSC. They will also stand as living monuments to the memory of our nation’s military heroes, of which he was one.

In the words of our founding director, Dr. Jim Reckner, “Time takes its inevitable toll.  The shadows daily lengthen as the shining lights of John’s generation grow dimmer and ultimately are extinguished.  By their sacrifice, they established the basis for American security and prosperity for decades.  And now they go to eternal rest.”

At the request of the family, there will be no public memorial services held. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mrs. Cathy Buesseler and their family. John gave so much of himself to us and we will be forever grateful for his friendship and for all he did for our community and nation. May he rest in peace.

Posted by at 4:15 pm
Labels: announcements,general news
Monday, February 25, 2013

Vietnam Center and Archive Closed, February 25th

The Vietnam Center and Archive will be closed today, February 25th, due to snow. #LubbockBlizzard

Posted by at 8:08 am
Labels: announcements
Friday, February 15, 2013

Reminder: The Vietnamese Lunar New Year, Tet, Celebration is Today

Tet, the Vietnamese New Year
Today – Friday, February 15th
3:00-5:00pm
The International Cultural Center’s Hall of Nations, Texas Tech University

This is a free event and open to the public.

Traditional Vietnamese food will be served, and entertainment may include a special presentation by the Vietnamese Student Association at Texas Tech. Please join us and learn more about the rich heritage and culture that makes Vietnam so remarkable.

February 10, 2013, ushers in the Lunar Year of the Snake. In Vietnam, one of 12 animals of the zodiac represents each year. In many Asian cultures, including Vietnam, the Year of the Snake is believed to be a year of peace and prosperity. The snake is an important part of life in Vietnam. People born in the Year of the Snake are endowed with wisdom and excel in finding solutions to problems. They are usually successful in life and lucky with money.

The Vietnamese people regard Tet as their most important holiday. Food preparation for Tet is very time consuming and often requires days of cooking and, prior to the celebrations, people clean, paint, and decorate their homes. People avoid cleaning during Tet so that good luck will not be “swept away.”

We hope you will be able to join us on February 15, 2013 as we celebrate this special event!

For more information, please call 806-742-3742.

Posted by at 7:00 am
Labels: announcements,vietnam center
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