LYONS — The speaker for the Rice County Historical Society’s Annual Meeting is Audrey Coleman, senior archivist at the Dole Institute of Politics. She will present “Out of Darkness: Records of the Vietnam War,” at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 1 at the Lyons State Bank’s community room.

Much of the Vietnam War story is yet to be told. Only now, as records are located, declassified and cataloged, does a more complete story emerge. The United States had a presence in Vietnam as early as the 1950s and remained there until the dramatic evacuation of the American Embassy in 1975. The conflict’s effects shaped a generation. This presentation features historic material from the archive of Kansas Senator Robert Dole, who served in Congress from 1961 to 1996. His collection documents the evolution of national policy, including his interaction with women instrumental in POW/MIA recovery efforts, and provides a window into American life during the tumultuous Vietnam War era. 

The public is invited to the presentation which is supported by a grant from Humanities Kansas.

After Coleman’s presentation and a break, the RCHS business meeting will be held. It will start at 6:45 p.m. and end shortly after 7 p.m.