Accidental Paradise: A Natural, Social, and Political History of Presque Isle
Lunch and Learn
Join Dr. David Frew, co-author of "Accidental Paradise: A 13,000-Year History of Presque Isle" as he shares the results of the three-year research project that led to the comprehensive history of Erie's Presque Isle. The discussion will include the human history of Presque Isle, including the misunderstood Eriez Indians, European arrival, the War of 1812, and early abuses, including forest harvesting, market hunting, and trapping; the struggle to make Presque Isle into a National Park and then the establishment of the current state park; controversial decisions, including the establishment of an open fish hatchery, the dredging and connecting of lagoon ponds, the highly contentious location of the entry road in 1925, and the dredging that created Marina Lake will be highlighted; and a discussion of current water levels with projections for the future.
This lecture will be held at:
Corry Higher Education Council
221 North Center Street
Corry, Pa 16407
The Corry Higher Education Council will require masking and face coverings for all staff, instructors, students, tenants and visitors while inside the Smith Education Center. The physical distancing is 3 feet within classroom settings.
Prior registration is required. Please click on REGISTER below to reserve your ticket or call 814.459.8000 for assistance.
Boxed lunches including deli sandwiches and veggie wrap will be provided and are first come first serve.
Admission cost will cover provided brown bag lunch.
Historian and author David Frew, Ph.D., is a JES Scholar-in-Residence. An emeritus professor at Gannon University, he held a variety of administrative positions during a 33-year career. He is also emeritus director of the Erie County Historical Society/Hagen History Center, where he had previously served as Executive Director for five years, and is president of his own management consulting business.
After beginning with a five-year career in engineering, Frew took a teaching fellowship at Kent State University, where he earned a doctorate in Organizational Behavior in 1970. His love of Lake Erie brought him back to Erie where he became a faculty member and the founding director of Gannon's MBA Program. His career at Gannon included administrative posts as Director of the Health Services Administration and Public Administration Programs, as well as Dean of the Graduate School. In 1982 and 1983, he took a leave from Gannon to complete a post-doctorate at Kent State University where he completed advanced coursework in psychology and research design. He was also a visiting professor at Mercyhurst University for four years.
Dr. Frew has authored or co-authored 40 books, most recently “Accidental Parade: A 13,000-Year History of Presque Isle,” and more than 100 articles, cases, and papers. His work has appeared in publications ranging from refereed journals such as The Journal of Applied Psychology to popular magazines such as Sail Magazine and Cruising World.
Growing up on Erie's lower west side as a proud "Bay Rat," Frew was known to join neighborhood kids playing and marauding along the west bayfront. He has written for years about his beloved Presque Isle and his adventures on the Great Lakes. In the “On the Waterfront Series” for the JES, the Scholar-in-Residence takes note of life in and around the water.
