Barton Welcomes Dr. Daniel Fountain as Featured Speaker for the Allan R. Sharp Religion in Life / Heritage Lecture on October 21

WILSON, N.C. – Barton College is pleased to welcome Dr. Daniel Fountain, associate professor of history and public history program director at Meredith College, as the featured speaker for the 2013 Allan R. Sharp Religion in Life Series/Heritage Lecture. The event will be held in Hardy Alumni Hall on Monday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. Dr. Fountain’s lecture is titled “Christ in Chains: African American Slaves and Christianity.”

Dr. Fountain serves as department head of History, Political Science, Religious and Ethical Studies, and Sociology at Meredith College. He has served as chair of North Carolina’s State Historical Marker Program Committee, and chair and director of the Historic Oak View County Park Advisory Board. He also has served as a member of the Executive Boards of the Carolina Charter Corporation and the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association. In 2011, Dr. Fountain was inducted into the Historical Society of North Carolina, an organization dedicated to the study and promotion of North Carolina History.  

His research interests focus on the nineteenth century U.S. and the American South, with a specific interest in the history of slavery and race. He is the author of “Slavery, Civil War, & Salvation: African American Slaves and Christianity, 1830-1870” (2010). He has appeared on NBC’s “Who Do You Think You Are?” helping actor Blair Underwood explore his ancestry, and on the History Channel series “The States.”

A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Dr. Fountain holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stetson University, a Master of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi.

Established in 1991, the Allan R. Sharp Religion in Life Series brings to campus each fall semester distinguished performers and lecturers who focus on topics of practical Christian significance for the general public relating to contemporary issues. This lecture series was named in honor of Dr. Allan R. Sharp, professor emeritus of religion and philosophy, at the time of his retirement. The late Dr. Sharp served on the Barton College faculty from 1953-1991.

This year’s Sharp Lecture is co-sponsored by Barton College’s Heritage Committee, which is supported in part by a grant from BB&T. The Heritage Committee was created by the college in 2003 to promote the study of history at Barton and in the Wilson community.

For additional information, contact Dr. Rodney A. Werline, Leman and Marie Barnhill Endowed Chair in Religious Studies at Barton College, at (252) 399-6447 or rawerline@barton.edu.

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