The following list consists of those papers or lectures presented during the centennial in California to educate about WW1. You can check out all of the entries in order by scrolling, or simply jump to a particular writing or talk by clicking on it in the table of contents below.
From This Land to No-Man's-Land - War Like We Have Never Seen, Nor Will Ever See Again! - by Bill Betten
Cryptology, the Secret Battlefield of World War I: Dawn of the Crypto Arms Race - by Ralph Simpson
James Reese Europe: The Carrier of the Most Virulent Germ of the First World War, and All That Jazz - by Bill Betten
Echoes of World War One in the Surgical World - by Thomas L Snyder
And the Flag Was Not There; World War I and the ideal of “Living Memorials” - by Courtland Jindra & Shane Peterson
MEMORIAL DAY – 2018: A speech given at the Montclair Veteran’s Memorial Commemoration - by Bill Betten
‘On the Sacred Soil’: Remembering June 1918 and the U.S. Marines who fought in France by Dr. Darin D. Lenz
The Great War as Civic Engagement: Southern California, 1916-1925 - by Craig Hendricks
1918 War Letters: Deception To Protect the Family, A World War I Case Study - by Dr. Ava F. Kahn
World War I and its Effects on Vera Brittain’s Life - by Judith Carrillo
The Spanish Flu at the University of California, Berkeley: A Case Study - by Americo Prado
For Country or Homeland: The Challenge for German Americans During World War I - By Robert Wells
Armistice Centennial Event Narrative - Hollywood American Legion Post 43 - Nov. 12, 2018 - by Courtland Jindra
From This Land to No-Man's-Land - War Like We Have Never Seen, Nor Will Ever See Again!
by Bill Betten
Co-Director of the California WW1 Centennial Task Force
The following was a lecture given at a symposium of the Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage by Bill Betten, Co-Director of the California WW1 Centennial Task Force, as featured guest and keynote speaker during the History Symposium: Ross Field Arcadia WWI Balloon School, 100 Years on Saturday, May 5, 2018. The talk was a preamble to presentations on more specific topics and was intended as a general overview of WW1.
Bill Betten is one of the Co-Directors of the California WW1 Centennial Task Force and the author of the WW1 historical novel series Doughboys. [See his biography here. ]
Cryptology, the Secret Battlefield of World War I: Dawn of the Crypto Arms Race
by Ralph Simpson
The following paper was awarded acceptance as part of the California State University Channel Islands World War One Centennial Conference titled "Imperial Implosions: World War I and its Global Implications." This paper was vetted by the CSUCI history department for inclusion as a guest lecturer at the conference held November 8-9, 2018, at the university's Camarillo Campus. This work falls under copyright restrictions, and the author has granted restricted permission for publication only here on this website.
Ralph Simpson worked 32 years in the computer industry at IBM and Cisco Systems. He authored Crypto Wars: 2000 Years of Cipher Evolution, and is an avid collector of cipher machines.
James Reese Europe: The Carrier of the Most Virulent Germ of the First World War, and All That Jazz
by Bill Betten
Co-Director of the California WW1 Centennial Task Force
The following paper was awarded acceptance as part of the California State University Channel Islands World War One Centennial Conference titled "Imperial Implosions: World War I and its Global Implications." This paper was vetted by the CSUCI history department for inclusion as a guest lecturer at the conference held November 8-9, 2018, at the university's Camarillo Campus. This work falls under copyright restrictions, and the author has granted restricted permission for publication only here on this website.
Bill Betten is one of the Co-Directors of the California WW1 Centennial Task Force and the author of the WW1 historical novel series Doughboys. [See his biography here. ]
Echoes of World War One in the Surgical World
by Thomas L Snyder
The following paper was awarded acceptance as part of the California State University Channel Islands World War One Centennial Conference titled "Imperial Implosions: World War I and its Global Implications." This paper was vetted by the CSUCI history department for inclusion as a guest lecturer at the conference held November 8-9, 2018, at the university's Camarillo Campus. This work falls under copyright restrictions, and the author has granted restricted permission for publication only here on this website.
And the Flag Was Not There; World War I and the ideal of “Living Memorials”
by Courtland Jindra & Shane Peterson
The following paper was awarded acceptance as part of the California State University Channel Islands World War One Centennial Conference titled "Imperial Implosions: World War I and its Global Implications." This paper was vetted by the CSUCI history department for inclusion as a guest lecturer at the conference held November 8-9, 2018, at the university's Camarillo Campus. This work falls under copyright restrictions, and the author has granted restricted permission for publication only here on this website.
Courtland Jindra is one of the Co-Directors of the California WW1 Centennial Task Force. [See his biography here.]
Shane Peterson is a graduate of California State University Northridge with a masters in history. His thesis on Natchez, Mississippi in WWI was used by the General Services Administration to correct a Jim Crow era WWI Memorial, and was the subject of a documentary by the GSA. He is rewriting his thesis into a book length manuscript.
MEMORIAL DAY – 2018: A Speech Given at the Montclair Veteran’s Memorial Commemoration
By Bill Betten
Co-Director of the California WW1 Centennial Task Force
The following was a speech given at the 2018 Memorial Day commemoration at the Veteran's Memorial Wall in the Montclair Memorial Garden by Bill Betten, Co-Director of the California WW1 Centennial Task Force, as featured guest speaker during the commemoration on Monday, May 28, 2018. The talk was a central to the dedications and commemorations given that day.
Bill Betten, Co-Director of the California WW1 Centennial Task Force is an author and retired educator. See his biography here.
“‘On the Sacred Soil’: Remembering June 1918 and the U.S. Marines who fought in France”
By Darin D. Lenz, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of History, Fresno Pacific University
The following paper was awarded acceptance as part of the California State University Bakersfield World War One Centennial Conference titled "America in the Trenches: A Centennial Exploration of America's Involvement in the Great War." This paper was vetted by the CSUB history department for inclusion as a guest lecturer at the conference held October 13, 2018, at the university's Bakersfield Campus. This work falls under copyright restrictions, and the author has granted restricted permission for publication only here on this website.
Darin D. Lenz, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History, Fresno Pacific University
The Great War as Civic Engagement: Southern California, 1916-1925
by Craig Hendricks
Historical Society of Long Beach
The following paper was awarded acceptance as part of the California State University Bakersfield World War One Centennial Conference titled "America in the Trenches: A Centennial Exploration of America's Involvement in the Great War." This paper was vetted by the CSUB history department for inclusion as a guest lecturer at the conference held October 13, 2018, at the university's Bakersfield Campus. This work falls under copyright restrictions, and the author has granted restricted permission for publication only here on this website.
Craig Hendricks taught history at Long Beach City College and CSU-Long Beach for three decades. He is the joint author of several textbooks and readers, and is a grants consultant for Southern California school districts. Since 1985 he has provided numerous history presentations, on topics involving historical research and public issues. His current research interests focus on the development of the city and port of Long Beach during the 20th century.
1918 War Letters: Deception To Protect the Family, A World War I Case Study
by Ava F. Kahn, PhD
The following paper was awarded acceptance as part of the California State University Bakersfield World War One Centennial Conference titled "America in the Trenches: A Centennial Exploration of America's Involvement in the Great War." This paper was vetted by the CSUB history department for inclusion as a guest lecturer at the conference held October 13, 2018, at the university's Bakersfield Campus. This work falls under copyright restrictions, and the author has granted restricted permission for publication only here on this website.
AVA F. KAHN holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She taught at UC Davis, Mills College, and SFSU, served as a the Research Associate at the Western Jewish History Center of the Magnes Museum and as a visiting scholar at the California Studies Center, University of California, Berkeley. Her publications include: Jewish Voices of the California Gold Rush: A Documentary History, 1849–1880 (2002); Jewish Life in the American West: Immigration, Settlement and Community (2002, 2004); Jews of the Pacific Coast: Reinventing Community on America's Edge (2010) co-authored with Ellen Eisenberg and William Toll; California Jews (2003, paperback 2011) co-edited with Marc Dollinger; and Transnational Traditions: New Prospectives on American Jewish History (2014) co-edited with Adam Mendelsohn. An article on Kahn's WWI research was published in the American Jewish Archives journal. http://americanjewisharchives.org/publications/journal/PDF/2017_69_02_00_kahn.pdf
World War I and its Effects on Vera Brittain’s Life
Judith Carrillo
Senior, CSU Bakersfield, History
The following paper was awarded acceptance as part of the California State University Bakersfield World War One Centennial Conference titled "America in the Trenches: A Centennial Exploration of America's Involvement in the Great War." This paper was vetted by the CSUB history department for inclusion as a guest lecturer at the conference held October 13, 2018, at the university's Bakersfield Campus. This work falls under copyright restrictions, and the author has granted restricted permission for publication only here on this website.
Judith Carrillo, Senior, CSU Bakersfield, History
The Spanish Flu at the University of California, Berkeley: A Case Study
by Americo Prado
Senior, CSU Bakersfield
The following paper was awarded acceptance as part of the California State University Bakersfield World War One Centennial Conference titled "America in the Trenches: A Centennial Exploration of America's Involvement in the Great War." This paper was vetted by the CSUB history department for inclusion as a guest lecturer at the conference held October 13, 2018, at the university's Bakersfield Campus. This work falls under copyright restrictions, and the author has granted restricted permission for publication only here on this website.
Americo Prado, Senior, CSU Bakersfield
For Country or Homeland: The Challenge for German Americans During World War I
Robert Wells
Senior, CSU Bakersfield
The following paper was awarded acceptance as part of the California State University Bakersfield World War One Centennial Conference titled "America in the Trenches: A Centennial Exploration of America's Involvement in the Great War." This paper was vetted by the CSUB history department for inclusion as a guest lecturer at the conference held October 13, 2018, at the university's Bakersfield Campus. This work falls under copyright restrictions, and the author has granted restricted permission for publication only here on this website.
Robert Wells, Senior, CSU Bakersfield
Armistice Centennial Event Narrative
Hollywood American Legion Post 43 - Nov. 12, 2018
Courtland Jindra
Co-Director of the California WW1 Centennial Task Force
The following narrative is a script from the actual Armistice Centennial Event held at the historic WW1 monument known as Hollywood American Legion Post 43 on Nov. 12, 2018. As one of the official A.C.E.'s of California this commemoration utilized a sizable cast of notable speakers who often represented historic figures of WW1. Historian and California WW1 Centennial Task Force Co-Director Courtland Jindra authored the narrative presented here in its entirety.
Courtland Jindra is one of the Co-Directors of the California WW1 Centennial Task Force. [See his biography here.]