The Mattatuck Museum invites you to participate in the 6th Annual Orton P. Camp Jr. Lecture presented by Ann Smith. Ann Smith, a long-time friend of Mr. Camp and former director and curator of the Mattatuck Museum, will discuss his life and experiences during World War II expressed in war letters he wrote home. This year’s lecture will take place Sunday, September 16th at 2:00 p.m. and will be followed by a reception.
In a departure from previous programs in the series, the 2012 Orton P. Camp Jr. lecture will focus on the honoree himself through the vivid letters he wrote home to his family during World War II that were saved by his mother. Presented by Ann Smith, the letters capture keen observa-tions of the people and places Mr. Camp encountered in Europe between 1944 and 1946. Serving as a Forward Observer in the Army Artillery in the final months of the war, Camp fought in the Battle of the Bulge and in the final struggle to secure Germany. He was then assigned to work resettling refugees and prisoners of war in Czechoslovakia and Austria. His final assignment was serving in General Mark Clark’s headquarters in Vienna. The talk will reveal the military operations that Army censors prevented Camp from describing in his letters and will be illustrated with period photos and maps of the places and events that were the backdrop to this coming of age experience.
Admission to this program is a suggested donation of $10. All donations will be placed in the Orton P. Camp, Jr. Endowment Fund at the Mattatuck Museum for future programming. Join the museum to immediately qualify for member benefits. Please register in advance at www.MattatuckMuseum.org or by calling (203) 753-0381 ext. 10.
Visit www.MattatuckMuseum.org or call (203) 753-0381 for more information on all of the museum’s adult and children’s programs, events and exhibits. The Mattatuck Museum is operated with support from the Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts, and is a member of the Connecticut Art Trail, a group of sixteen world-class museums and historic sites (www.arttrail.org). Located at 144 West Main Street, Waterbury, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Free parking is located behind the building on Park Place.