Photo: Madeline Kauffman
The 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, also known as Armistice Day, was Sunday, Nov. 11. Events at Elizabethtown College allowed members of the College community to commemorate the end of what was known as the “Great War,” as well as all who have served in the armed forces.
The roles of women in World War I are on display in an art exhibit titled “Women and the Great War: Posters from the Collection of Pamela Tronsor” in the Hess Gallery in Zug Memorial Hall.
There was also an “Arts and the Armistice” concert held Sunday, Nov. 11 to commemorate the end of World War I.
“[World War I] was so brutal and marketed as ‘the war to end all wars’,” Peacemaker-in-Residence Jonathan Rudy said. “War always promises that.”
Rudy has not attended any on-campus events celebrating Veterans’s Day. “Remembering is one thing. Glorifying is another. How about a day that honors all peacemakers in history?” he said when asked about his thoughts on Veterans’ Day in an email interview.
Some other Etown faculty have done or are doing work to commemorate the end of (and the lives lost in) World War I.
According to Rudy, professor of music Dr. Douglas Bomberger has an upcoming book about influential music from the World War I era.
President Carl Strikwerda was on a committee that designed a World War I memorial in Kansas City, Missouri.
Strikwerda gave opening remarks at the Arts and the Armistice concert in Leffler Chapel and Performance Center.
The concert featured students and faculty from the music department performing songs and compositions from or about the World War I era.
They were joined by the saxophone ensemble playing a medley of songs composed by George M. Cohan. Other students, including juniors Abigail Spessard and Maggie Bocella, read poetry from or about the war.
Featured poems included Vera Brittain’s “To My Brother” and Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est.”
Fenice, the College’s women’s choir, performed Ivor Novello’s “Keep the Home Fires Burning” under the direction of assistant professor of music Dr. Anne Gross.
“My favorite moment was [Le Tombeau de Couperin] by Maurice Ravel,” junior Sarah Kaden said. “It was complex and haunting and appropriate for Veterans’ Day.”
Each section of the piece is dedicated to someone who fought in World War I.
About 40 people attended the concert, including senior music major Caroline Cole.
“I attended because I don’t know much about World War I,” Cole said. “As a pacifist, it was interesting to hear things from the era to help understand what it was like, and to reflect on the impact of the war.”
Rudy expressed similar thoughts about reflecting on and learning about wars, including World War I.
“We are a warring nation, addicted to violence and unable to ‘solve’ problems without the use of force,” Rudy said. “We are learning, however, and I am honored to be teaching at an institution with a history that runs counter to the warring and fighting and genocidal history of this nation.”
For more information on the poetry reading, see page 6.
