PU The Vietnam War - Class 8: Legacy: Wheeling and West Virginia in the Vietnam War

May 22, 2025
7:00pm - 8:30pm

This class will focus on the war years here in West Virginia and Wheeling, which came during a period of key transition for the Friendly City and the Mountain State. The state’s coal industry saw an uptick in production and over 30,000 West Virginians joined or were drafted during the conflict. At the same time, the war years witnessed tensions statewide, as West Virginians organized a variety of social causes, driven by the activism of the War on Poverty at home. Wheeling serves as an instructive microcosm of the war years, as many locals served in Southeast Asia, and others from local colleges and various social classes protested the war.

Instructor Dr. William Hal Gorby is a Teaching Associate Professor of History, and Director of Undergraduate Studies at West Virginia University. He teaches courses on West Virginia, Appalachian, and American Immigration History, and is the 2020-21 recipient of the Eberly College’s Outstanding Teacher award and the University’s Nicholas Evans Excellence in Advising Award. His book, "Wheeling’s Polonia: Reconstructing Polish Community in a West Virginia Steel Town" was published by WVU Press in May 2020. The book won the Oskar Halecki Prize from the Polish American Historical Association in 2022, for the best book on the Polish American experience. He has also consulted on the research and script editing for the PBS American Experience documentary “The Mine Wars,” which received an Emmy nomination for research in the documentary film category. In 2019, he researched, wrote, and hosted a podcast by Wheeling Heritage Media, titled “Henry: The Life and Times of Wheeling’s Most Notorious Brewer,” which won a History Hero Award from the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History in 2020.

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ABOUT THE OCPL'S PEOPLE'S UNIVERSITY SERIES:

In 1951, the Ohio County Public Library's librarian, Virginia Ebeling, referenced British historian Thomas Carlyle, who said, “the public library is a People’s University,” when she initiated a new adult education program with that name. Miss Ebeling charged the library with the responsibility of reaching “as many people in the community as possible.” In keeping with that tradition of public libraries as sanctuaries of free learning for all people, the Ohio County Public Library revived the series in 2010.

The People’s University features courses (taught by experts in each subject) that enable patrons to pursue their goal of lifelong learning in classic subjects such as history, music appreciation, philosophy, and literature. Patrons may attend as many classes as they wish. There are no tests of other requirements and all programs are free and open to the public. For more information about PU: The Cold War, EMAIL US,  visit ohiocountylibrary.org or call the library at 304-232-0244.