LAKELAND, Fla. (Feb. 28, 2008) — Florida Southern College’s Center for Florida History welcomes author and historian John F. Marszalek to the Florida Lecture Series on March 13. Marszalek will discuss “The Petticoat Affair: Manners and Sex in Andrew Jackson’s White House.” The lecture will start at 7 p.m. in the William M. Hollis Seminar Room of the Thad Buckner Building on the FSC campus. The event is free and open to the public.

“John Marszalek is one of America’s great narrative historians, and we are delighted to have him with us,” said James Denham, professor of history and director of FSC’s Center for Florida History. “His saga of the scandal that rocked Andrew Jackson’s White House has all the features of a modern-day potboiler. It is a fascinating story and Marszalek tells it with skill.”

A graduate of Canisius College and the University of Notre Dame, Marszalek taught at Gannon University, before coming to Mississippi State University in 1973. A specialist in the U. S. Civil War, the Jacksonian Period, and race relations, he is the author or editor of thirteen books and over 250 articles and book reviews. His most well-known books are “Sherman, A Soldier’s Passion for Order” (1993); “The Petticoat Affair: Manners, Mutiny, and Sex in Andrew Jackson’s White House” (1998); and “Commander of All Lincoln’s Armies, A Life of General Henry W. Halleck” (2004), all History Book Club selections. His publications have been the subject of major news stories in national newspapers including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and USA Today. He is a popular lecturer and has appeared on ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC Television, the Arts and Entertainment Television Network, C-SPAN, C-SPAN 2, Showtime Television, the History Channel, the Voice of America and Mississippi Public Radio. He is the recipient of numerous teaching and literary awards, including the Richard Wright Literary Award and the B.L.C. Wailes Award for national distinction in history.

About the Florida Lecture Series
The Florida Lecture Series is produced by the Center for Florida History under the direction of Dr. James M. Denham. 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.