Presented by Dr. Scott Giltner, Sperry Chair in Humanities, and Dr. Dylan Marney, Professor of Music, the program, The Life and Times of J.W. “Blind” Boone in Story and Song, offers an engaging look at one of Missouri’s most influential musicians. The event will take place in the Merillat Chapel in the Robert W. Brown Performing Arts Center on the Culver-Stockton campus. The event is free and open to the public.

“J.W. Boone, known as ‘Blind’ Boone, was born a slave and blinded from a young age. He overcame poverty, injustice, and disability to become one of the most famous and influential ragtime musicians of the late 19th and early 20th centuries,” explained Giltner. “His story is one of perseverance and triumph, an inspiring testament to resilience, talent, and the power of music.”

Through narration and performance, Giltner and Marney will bring Boone’s remarkable journey to life, inviting audiences to experience the humanity behind his extraordinary art.

The John A. Sperry Lecture honors the legacy of Dr. John A. Sperry Jr., a distinguished professor of humanities whose 35-year career at 91ֱ�� profoundly influenced generations of students. Dr. Sperry’s wife, Jean Sperry, established the Sperry Chair and Lecture in 1992 to commemorate her husband’s time at Culver-Stockton.

Dr. Sperry was the first recipient of the Fred Helsabeck Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 1980 and was recognized at the College’s 129th Founders Day Convocation. A World War II veteran and lifelong learner, he is remembered for his dedication to the humanities and his enduring impact on the academic community.

Dr. Scott Giltner joined the Culver-Stockton faculty in August 2005. He teaches courses in history with topics such as U.S. history before 1865 and since 1865, sports in American history, African American history, America in the 1950s and 1960s, American history through film, and the Civil War era. He has served Culver-Stockton as chair of the history department, director of experiential learning, and associate division chair.

Giltner was one of the inaugural recipients of the Dome Award, which recognizes C-SC employees who have played an important role in the advancement of the College, during the Alumni Honors Banquet in Oct. 2019. He was one of the three inaugural recipients of the Blue Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching presented by the Culver-Stockton Teacher Organization in 2019.

John A. Sperry Jr. was a distinguished professor of humanities throughout his 35-year career at Culver-Stockton and was awarded emeritus status upon his retirement. He was best known for his enthusiasm and breadth of knowledge in the subjects of history and humanities.

Sperry served with the U.S. Army in World War II. He graduated from three universities and received several honorary degrees. Jean Sperry, John’s wife, established the Sperry Chair and Lecture in 1992 to commemorate her husband’s time at Culver-Stockton. The annual lecture honors Sperry for his dedication to the Culver-Stockton community.

The title of Thompson’s lecture is “Analog Lessons for the Digital Age.” The lecture is offered as part of C-SC’s academic and cultural events program. It is free and open to the public.

Thompson has been counsel to the Atlanta law firm of Finch McCranie LLP since July 2015.  He was appointed by the U.S. Department of Justice as the independent corporate compliance monitor and auditor for Volkswagen AG in April 2017.

Thompson was born and raised in Hannibal, Mo. After graduating from C-SC, he received his master’s degree from Michigan State University in 1969 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan in 1974. He worked for Ford Motor Company during law school and later became a partner in the Atlanta law firm of King & Spalding.

Thompson served as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia from 1982-86. He directed the Southern Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and served on the Attorney General’s Economic Crime Council. Thompson was appointed in July 1995 as independent counsel for the investigation of rigged bids by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Congress selected Thompson to chair the Judicial Review Commission on Foreign Asset Control in April 2000, and he was confirmed as the deputy attorney general in 2001. He oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Department of Justice, including the oversight, coordination and direction of criminal investigations and prosecutions nationwide.

In 2002, Attorney General John Ashcroft named Thompson to lead the National Security Coordination Council, and President Bush named Thompson to head the Corporate Fraud Task Force. Thompson led the establishment of the Department of Justice’s Attorney Outreach Program, which resulted in the recruitment of attorneys from a wide range of ethnic, economic, geographic and racial backgrounds.

He left the Justice Department in August 2003 and was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., for a year before taking the job at PepsiCo. He was among the replacements considered for the U.S. Supreme Court after the death of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist in 2005.

Thompson was named the executive vice president, government affairs, general counsel and corporate secretary for PepsiCo, Inc., in July 2012, and he retired from that position in December 2014. He previously served as PepsiCo’s senior vice president of government affairs, general counsel and secretary from 2004 to 2011.

Thompson has stayed connected to Culver-Stockton. He was a member of the C-SC Board of Trustees from 1992-2002. He received the Distinguished Alumni award in 1983, he was the commencement speaker in 2002, and he was the keynote speaker as part of the Konneker Leader in Residence program in February 2017.

The lecture honors Sperry, a distinguished professor of humanities emeritus, for his dedication to the Culver-Stockton community. Sperry taught from 1957 to 1992 at C-SC, and he died in January 2003. He was best known for his enthusiasm and breadth of knowledge in the subjects of history and humanities.

Sperry and his wife, Jean, had a special connection with Thompson. He served as a mentor during Thompson’s time on campus, opening his eyes to a world filled with art. It was through the encouragement of the Sperrys that convinced Thompson to further his education after graduating from C-SC and go on to law school.

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The topic of Hotle’s lecture is “The American Civil War in a Global Context.”

Hotle has taught at Culver-Stockton since 1993. Before coming to C-SC, he taught at American-Nicaraguan School in Managua, Nicaragua; Cairo American College in Ma’adi, Cairo, Egypt; St. John’s International School in Waterloo, Belgium; University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England; and the American School of the Hague in Wassenaar, the Netherlands. He earned his doctorate from the University of Cambridge in 1992.

John A. Sperry Jr. was a distinguished professor of humanities throughout his 35-year career at Culver-Stockton. He was honored at the college’s 129th annual Founder’s Day Convocation and was the first recipient of the Fred Helsabeck Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 1980. Sperry served with the U.S. Army in World War II. He graduated from three universities and also received several honorary degrees. Jean Sperry established the Sperry Chair and Lecture in 1992 to commemorate her husband’s time at Culver-Stockton.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The date of the establishment of the Sperry Chair and Lecture was incorrect in an earlier version of this story.