Dr. Brian Burke To Speak About Early Physician's Role In The Revolution & Town
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. - The Sept. 16 Great Barrington Historical Society program will feature Dr. Brian Burke, sharing his fascination with an 18th century physician who figured prominently in this town's role in events leading up to the Revolutionary War."Dr. William Whiting's World in Great Barrington at the Time of the Revolution and Afterwards" will be presented at 7 p.m. at the W.E.B. Du Bois Center at 684 South Main St. A powerpoint show will feature early local photos; Dr. Whiting's home is now occuppied by The Shopper's Guide on West Ave. The public is invited to this free event and refreshments will be served.
From the Stamp Act of 1765 through the Revolution and the Constitutional Period, and into the presidency of George Washington, both Dr. Whiting and the newly incorporatated town of Great Barrington shared a tumultuous 30-year period. The program will relive both the local Berkshire scene and the larger world of which it was a part, through the eyes of this resident, whom the Dr. Burke has researched for several years.
"We had a mutual professional kinship as physicians," says Dr. Burke, who, in addition to serving as Chief of Staff and Medical Director of Fairview Hospital here, is immediate past president of the local historical society. (He is also director of the hospital's Community Health Programs.) During his four-year tenure, the Society purchased and has been renovating the Capt. Truman Wheeler House on South Main Street, slated to be the Society's home and town museum.
Dr. Burke's study of Dr. Whiting grew out his passion for local history; he has published articles on this subject and others in "Berkshire HomeStyle" magazine. He is a board member of the Society.
The Du Bois Center is located next to North Star Books, and adjacent to Big Y Shopping Center.
On Nov. 17 at 7 p.m., the Society's next event will be an Italian dinner, prepared by member Jane Green, at the Claire Teague Senior Center. At this dinner-fundraiser, a lecture about "a Searles Castle connection which led to the first great trial of the 20th C. -- shaking Victorian America" will be given. For details on the programs and the Society, visit www.greatbarringtonhistoricalsociety.org.
