The accomplishments of the African American polar explorer Matthew Henson are the topic of the next Library Associates lecture at E.S. Bird Library. Deidre Stam will speak on “The Value of the Team: Celebrating the Grand 1909 North Polar Adventure of African American Explorer Matthew Henson” Thursday, Nov. 12, at 5 p.m. in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons on the library’s first floor.

Stam, director of the rare books and special collections concentration of Long Island University’s Palmer School in Greenwich Village, has researched the life of Henson (1866-1955), a native of Charles County, Md., who spent 18 years in polar exploration with Robert E. Peary, including their trip to the North Pole 100 years ago. She explains that while Peary said that Henson made the trip possible, Henson was really an excellent team member and not a leader in the sense that Peary was. She calls him essential to Peary’s team because of his practical skills, perseverance in the Arctic, strength and ability to speak Inuktitut (the language of the Inuit) and to run sled dogs.

Stam divides her time between Syracuse and New York City. She has worked in libraries, library schools, archives and museums, and taught library science at SU.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Free event parking is available in the Booth Garage, at Waverly and Comstock avenues, one block from Bird Library.

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