March  8 Speaker -- David Stroud on Research and Writing

David Stroud is not old enough to have served in the Civil War, but you wouldn't know that listening to his American History lectures at Kilgore College.  David's vast knowledge and expertise regarding the civil War is amazing, and his stories about the Civil War seem to come from first-hand experience.

Tht first-hand experience probably comes from his tour of duty in 1964 as a marine in Vietnam and as a Drill Instructor for two years at Paris Island, South Carolina, 1966-1968.  And the fact that he's such an excellent teacher probably is because he's been doing this his entire adult life.  David has a B.S. and M.A. in History from SFA, taught History at West Rusk I.S.D. from 1972-1976 and has taught United States and Texas History at Kilgore College since 1977.

David has written and published five books and fifty articles and book reviews.  His most recent book, Ector's Texas Brigade, took him ten years to research and write and won the 2004 Summerfield Award for Best Book on Texas in the Civil War.  His reference book, Insribed Union Swords:  1861-1865, was selected as the number three reference book in the United States by Haas Publications in 1983, and his book of poems, Grazing Fire, was used as a reading resource in a War and Literature English class at SFA in 1998.

David will talk to us about the importance of research to your writing.  and he might also have a few wars tories to tell along the way.