By Emma Dennis 
OBU News Bureau

ARKADELPHIA — Ouachita Baptist University’s Public History program will present a free, hands-on preservation workshop Saturday, April 2, from 9 a.m.-noon at Rose Hill Cemetery. The workshop will be led by Dr. Lisa Speer, professor and university archivist at Ouachita, and by students enrolled in the university’s heritage tourism class. Box lunches will be provided by Apex Insurance Consultants of Arkadelphia. 

Besides learning about tombstone materials, symbols and motifs, workshop participants will be taught and will use appropriate cleaning methods for tombstones. They’ll also hear about the history of Rose Hill Cemetery. 

“Public history, in part, means engaging the local community in its history by making that history accessible and interesting,” said Hannah Webber, a senior public history major from Longview, Texas. 

Natalie Moore, a junior public history and communications & media/integrated communications double major from Ash Flat, Ark., added, “Serving the community through the Public History program has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my college career.”  

Other students leading the workshop include Dakota Furr, a freshman history and secondary education double major from Harrison, Ark.; Makena Munger, a sophomore history and public history double major from Casscoe, Ark.; Sofia Rizo, a sophomore public history and Spanish double major from Euless, Texas; and Sarah Spakes, a junior public history and political science double major from Benton, Ark. 

The workshop will take place in conjunction with Ouachita’s Tiger Serve Day and is funded by a service engagement grant from the Elrod Center for Family and Community at Ouachita. Registration is limited to 20 people; sign up at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rose-hill-cemetery-preservation-workshop-tickets-267909934827?aff=ebdssbdestsearch. 

For more information about the workshop or the Public History program at Ouachita, contact Dr. Lisa Speer at speerl@obu.edu or at (870) 245-5332.