Womens History Month presentation focuses on Ella Buchanan

  Monday, March 2, 2015 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

Pittsburg State University will begin its observance of Women’s History Month with a presentation on Ella Buchanan, just one of the many women who have played a significant role in the city’s history.

Beverly Clarkson, director of the Pittsburg Public Library, will speak about Buchanan, the first director of the library, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4, in 107 Grubbs Hall on the PSU campus.

The city hired Buchanan, who was the daughter of newspaper editor J.C. Buchanan, to direct the library in 1901. She served in that position until 1908 when she left to study at the Chicago Art Institute.

Buchanan is credited with forging a path for women in many ways. She gained national and international notoriety not only as a talented sculptor, but also as a leader in the movement for women’s suffrage, for which her art served as a powerful symbol. Later, she went to Hollywood where she also made her mark in the motion picture industry.

For more information, contact Maria Thompson in the PSU Office of Student Diversity, 620-235-4077.