AMES, Iowa -- Robert V. Morris, named one of The Des Moines Register's most influential Iowans in the 21st century, will discuss his new book at Iowa State University on Wednesday, Feb. 2. His talk, "Black Faces of War," will be at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. It is free and open to the public.
Morris' illustrated history, "Black Faces of War: A Legacy of Honor from the American Revolution to Today," relays personal accounts of several prominent African-American war heroes, including Crispus Attucks, the first man to die in the American Revolution; Lt. Charity Adams, the first African-American female officer in the Woman's Army Auxiliary Corps; and Gen. Colin Powell, who retired a four-star general and became the first African-American Secretary of State. The 160-page book also features profiles of celebrated units, such as the 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers who protected the western frontier, and the legendary Tuskegee Airmen of World War II.
Morris is the son and grandson of two decorated Army officers. His first book, "Tradition and Valor," tells their stories and was made into a documentary broadcast on Iowa Public Television. His father won a bronze star in World War II as one of the first black officers to lead white troops. His grandfather, a member of the first black officer candidate class (at Fort Des Moines in 1917), was injured twice in combat. He then returned to Iowa and co-founded the National Bar Association (1925) and the National Newspaper Publishers Association (1940). He was publisher of the Iowa Bystander, the oldest black weekly newspaper west of the Mississippi River.
Morris, who also wrote for the Iowa Bystander, started his own communications company. He is a past president of the Iowa-Nebraska chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Morris founded the Fort Des Moines Memorial Park and the World War II Iowa Tuskegee Airmen Memorial at the Des Moines International Airport. A graduate of the University of Iowa, he taught journalism at Iowa State.
Morris' presentation is cosponsored by the history department and the Committee on Lectures, which is funded by the Government of the Student Body. More information on ISU lectures is available at http://www.lectures.iastate.edu, or by calling 515-294-9935.