2004 Conference Welcome

Join us in Baltimore as we celebrate our 10th anniversary. This year’s conference promises to be our biggest and best yet!

Conference Chair Al Betz has put together an impressive program that will educate and inspire us all. Whether you have been in the personal history business a long time or are just beginning down this exciting path, you will find a wide array of workshops, panel discussions, and speakers to stimulate your brain and stir your creative juices.

There will be ample opportunity to explore Baltimore’s dynamic Inner Harbor and historic downtown area. Most importantly, though, you will have the opportunity to meet and network with colleagues in the personal history community from across the U.S., Canada and abroad. Nowhere will you find a group of people more passionate about the work they do and more willing to share their ideas and expertise with others.

Don’t miss out! Space is limited, so sign up now. I’ll see you in November.

Lettice Stuart
APH President

Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith. — Henry Ward Beecher

With both hands gripping the handle of faith, Kitty Axelson-Berry responded to her passion for stories, ignited a spark, and the Association of Personal Historians was born. Kitty’s dreams, and the labors of many people since 1994, lead us to the theme selected for Baltimore 2004: "Celebrating Success. Empowering Opportunity."
On Saturday evening, November 13, 2004, we will celebrate ten years of growth reflected in nearly 400 members from a half dozen countries. But the essence of our celebration remains in learning. The result of learning is our ability to seek out, and empower, new opportunities. Following this conference, we will be energized by new ideas, and we will be prepared to capitalize on them.
We set three goals for Baltimore 2004: (1) to expand the Association’s diversity; (2) to respond to members’ desires as expressed in their evaluations of past conferences; (3) to try new things.

As you read the presentation descriptions contained in this program, you will hardly be able to contain your excitement. We will explore personal history preservation in the African American and Hispanic cultures. We will learn about hate. We will learn how an actress transferred her family history from paper to the stage. We will experience the psychology of the interview. We are going to gallop through history, and then we’re going to slow down to review history in the 20th century from the perspective of working class people. We will simulate a workshop, discover what a turning point is, work with a graphic artist, and learn how to move from entrepreneur to president!
Catch your breath. Then click through all the sections of the program to find more conference nuggets.

Town Square will open on Wednesday evening and will remain open until noon on Friday. Salons, renamed Let’s Get Personal, have a new imaginative design but retain their spontaneity. The creativity of Media Share and Tales of the Heart will again capture our imaginations.

The Tremont Plaza, our conference location, is an all-suites hotel. The rooms are spacious, the furnishings are fresh, and the views are gorgeous. From start to finish in every aspect, your journey to Baltimore will be thrilling. We look forward to seeing you there!

Al Betz, Conference Chairperson
On behalf of the Conference Committee

For conference information, contact:
Al Betz, Conference Chair
The Life Histories Center
P.O. Box 671
Westminster, MD 21157
410-875-6110