C-SC professor to deliver annual Sperry Endowed Chair of Humanities lecture on Tuesday

CANTON, Mo. — Scott Giltner, chair of the Applied Liberal Arts and Sciences Division and professor of history at Culver-Stockton College, will deliver the annual John A. Sperry Jr. Endowed Chair of Humanities Lecture at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, in the Merillat Chapel and Recital Hall inside of the Robert W. Brown Performing Arts Center on the C-SC campus.

The lecture is offered as part of the college’s academic and cultural events program and is free to attend and open to the public.

The lecture titled, “Alexander Campbell and James Shannon in Transatlantic Perspective: Education, Emigration and the Disciples’ Deepest Divide,” will cover how before becoming prominent in the Restoration Movement, Alexander Campbell and James Shannon shared common roots in revolutionary Northern Ireland.

In the aftermath of the violent chaos of the 1798 rebellion and subsequent imposition of Union with Great Britain, both men left for America. They arrived in different ways to different places. Their backgrounds in Northern Ireland and the circumstances of their respective journeys to America will be examined as key context for their later views on slavery, which became the most divisive issue among the Disciples by the 1840s and 1850s.

Sperry was a distinguished 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.

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 appointed Sperry Chair in 2023.

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.