Giltner to deliver annual Sperry Endowed Chair of Humanities Lecture April 23 at Merillat Chapel

CANTON, Mo. — Scott Giltner, chair of Culver-Stockton College Applied Liberal Arts and Sciences Division and holder of the Dr. John A. Sperry Jr. Endowed Chair of Humanities, will present the annual Sperry Lecture at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23, in the Merillat Chapel and Recital Hall inside of the Robert W. Brown Performing Arts Center on the Culver-Stockton College campus.

The lecture is offered as part of C-SC’s academic and cultural events program. It is free and open to the public.

Giltner’s lecture is titled “History, Mission and the Lost Years of Christian University, 1865-1903.”

“The key themes of the lecture focus on the least understood period in our (Culver-Stockton) history, the years between reopening after the war and the Old Main fire,” Giltner said in a press release. “It will be an opportunity to reflect both on the college’s history and on the nature of historical investigation itself.”

Giltner joined the Culver-Stockton faculty in August 2005. He teaches courses in history with topics such as U.S. history before 1865 and since 1865, sports in American history, African American history, America in the 1950s and 1960s, American history through film and the Civil War era. He has served Culver-Stockton as chair of the history department, director of experiential learning and associate division chair.

Giltner was one of the inaugural recipients of the Dome Award, which recognizes C-SC employees who have played an important role in the advancement of the college, during the Alumni Honors Banquet in October 2019. He was one of the three inaugural recipients of the Blue Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching presented by the Culver-Stockton Teacher Organization in 2019.

John A. Sperry Jr. was a professor of humanities throughout his 35-year career at Culver-Stockton and was awarded emeritus status upon his retirement. He was best known for his enthusiasm and breadth of knowledge in the subjects of history and humanities.

Sperry served with the U.S. Army in World War II. He graduated from three universities and received several honorary degrees. Jean Sperry, John’s wife, established the Sperry Chair and Lecture in 1992 to commemorate her husband’s time at Culver-Stockton. The annual lecture honors Sperry for his dedication to the Culver-Stockton community.