The J. Houston Gordon Museum, located in the University of Tennessee at Martin Paul Meek Library, will host freelance journalist Gene Beley at 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 30, in the library’s Special Collections Reading Room. Beley’s lecture is in conjunction with the museum’s current exhibit, “1968: A Folsom Redemption,” and will discuss the stories behind Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison concerts and behind developing the exhibit.
Beley’s writings for the exhibit come from his firsthand experience of attending the concerts, his conversations with the Cash family before the concerts and his knowledge of the background storylines of the era.
“Mr. Beley will share his experiences of a long friendship with Cash,” Sam Richardson, head of special collections and curator of the museum said. “I hope (attendees) come away with a larger knowledge of Johnny Cash as a person and an appreciation of his artistry and life.”
The museum is open to the public from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with no admission fee. Visitors are required to wear masks inside the library.
Parking for the lecture will be in the Paul Meek Library parking lot on Wayne Fisher Drive off Mt. Pelia Road. Parking permits are available online at www.utm.edu/departments/publicsafety by selecting the “Online Visitor Parking Permit” link.
The exhibit, which opened Sept. 1, is scheduled to run through Oct. 15. For more information, contact Richardson at 731-881-7094.
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