Panola College and the B.F. and Mary Payne Fund for the
Preservation of Texas Culture are proud to present –
POPULAR CULTURE OF THE 1930s:
Movies, Music, Radio and Theatre
On March 9, 2004 Dr. Shellie O’Neal, Chair of the Theatre
Department at Navarro College, will present Popular Culture of the 1930s: Movies,
Music, Radio and Theatre. She will use slides and film clips to illustrate movies,
radio programs, plays, and the big bands of the era and their impact on America during one
of the most challenging times in our nation’s history.
The presentation will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the Q.M. Martin Auditorium at
the Panola College Carthage campus.
Dr. Shellie O’Neal is a proud alumnus of Panola College. At
Panola she starred in numerous plays and musicals, served as president of Phi Theta Kappa,
sang in the choir, and was awarded a Sharp scholarship. Dr. O’Neal received her
bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Texas at Tyler, and her
Ph.D. from Louisiana State University.
Before going to Navarro College, Dr. O’Neal served as a faculty
member in the theatre department at The University of Texas at Tyler. She has been a
recipient of the Irene Ryan Acting Award and has performed more than twenty roles for six
different producing organizations. She is a member of American Theatre in Higher
Education (ATHE) and Texas Educational Theatre Association (TETA).
Dr. O’Neal is currently writing a book about twins in motion
pictures, and this spring her play, Wish I May, Wish I Might, will be performed at
contest by the Navarro drama department. She is also an experienced lecturer who has
spoken before the East Texas Historical Association, Texas Educational Theatre Association
and the National Communication Association.
Following Dr. O’Neal’s presentation, the Sounds of Swing will perform. The Sounds of Swing 17-piece band has been spreading the gospel of big band music throughout the Ark-La-Tex for more than a decade. Their repertoire contains classic arrangements made famous by the legendary bands of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Count Basie, Harry James and many others.
The Sounds of Swing have performed at Lady Bird Johnson’s Wildflower Center in Austin, at Texas A&M for the 50th anniversary of the Memorial Student Center and the centennial celebration in Dequincy, Louisiana. The band has also performed concerts for Lions, Rotary, Shrine, Band Booster and music clubs, community concerts, Public Radio, World War II reunions, cotillions and dance clubs throughout northeast Texas and northwestern Louisiana.
The public is invited to come and relive this era of Texas History at Panola College on March 9, at 7:00 p.m. in the Q. M. Martin Auditorium. There will be no admission charge for this event. For additional information please call (903) 693-2000.