The Roanoke History & O. Winston Link Museums has announced that “History is Served,” its annual fundraising event at the Hotel Roanoke, will be held on October 12, 2023. Rebecca Boggs Roberts will speak on Wytheville native Edith Bolling Galt Wilson in relation to her newest book Untold Power: the Fascinating Rise & Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson.
Rebecca Boggs Roberts is an award-winning educator, author, and speaker, and is a leading historian of American women’s suffrage and civic participation. She is currently the deputy director of events at the Library of Congress, and has previously worked as a journalist, producer, tour guide, forensic anthropologist, event planner, political consultant, jazz singer, and radio talk show host. Her newest book, Untold Power, examines Edith Wilson, her ascent out of Appalachian poverty into an influential position of political prominence, as well as her role as acting president when her husband, Woodrow Wilson, suffered a stroke in 1919.
The “History Is Served” evening includes a Cash Bar reception at 5:30, a sit-down dinner at 7, and Silent and Live auctions throughout the evening. Tickets are $100 person, or for a sponsor table of 10, $1250. Sponsorship tables include 10 tickets, valet parking, two drink tickets, and Society memberships. For $2500, a group of eight can join Ms. Roberts at her table for dinner. Tickets are available online at www.roanokehistory.org, call 540.982.5465, or stop by the museum to purchase.
This dinner is the Society’s major fundraising event, and its proceeds enable the museums to offer exhibits, museum programming, and support for its vast collections representing the history and material culture of the Greater Roanoke Valley.
The History and Link museums are housed in an historic train passenger station across from Hotel Roanoke at 101 Shenandoah Ave NE, Roanoke VA, 24016. The museums are operated by the Historical Society of Western Virginia and are open Tuesday through Saturdays, 10 am – 4:30 pm. Admission is always free for members, $6 for adults, $5 for seniors/military/students, $3 for ages 12-17, and under 12 free.
