LAKELAND, Fla. (Jan. 31, 2005) - Florida Southern College's Center for Florida History welcomes Dr. Phyllis Vine, author and American historian, to the Florida Lecture Series Feb. 10. Vine, the Robert and Rose Stahl Visiting Lecturer in Criminology, will discuss "Bartow, Florida's Ossian Sweet Story." The lecture will start at 7 p.m. in the William M. Hollis Seminar Room on campus. The author will sign copies of her book, "'One Man's Castle:' Clarence Darrow in Defense of the American Dream," following the lecture.

A native of Los Angeles, Vine holds degrees in history from the University of California, Los Angeles, and earned her Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. She has taught at Sarah Lawrence College, the University of Michigan, Union College and Barnard College. During her tenure at Sarah Lawrence College, she received recognition for excellence in teaching for three of her courses. Also a graduate of Columbia School of Journalism, Vine has written for The Nation, Progressive, Extra!, and City Limits magazines. Her first book, "Families in Pain," broke new ground in addressing the problems facing families of the mentally ill. 


About the Florida Lecture Series 
The Florida Lecture Series is produced by the Center for Florida History and sponsored by the FSC Alumni Association, the Robert and Rose Stahl Criminology Lecture Series, and the Robert W. and Susan E. McKnight Political Affairs Lecture Series. The program brings speakers to the Lakeland campus who approach the issue of "Florida Life and Culture" from a wide range of disciplines, including history, public affairs, law, sociology, criminology, anthropology, literature, music and art. Its overall objective is to create an opportunity for members of the community, faculty, and student body to listen to, interact with and learn from leading scholars and specialists of the state's history and culture. 


About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive, United Methodist college with a liberal arts core. The college maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 38 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student/faculty ratio, provides strong student/faculty mentorship programs, boasts 24 NCAA Division II national championships, and is ranked by U. S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelors. Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.