Louisiana Purchase Series

The DeGolyer Library

Thursday, October 16, 2003

Reception & Bicentennial exhibit 6:00 p.m., lecture at 7:00 p.m.

"The Tornado and the Treasure:  Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase"

[picture: James Ronda]  

James P. Ronda, Barnard Professor of History, University of Tulsa

James P. Ronda holds the H.G. Barnard Chair in Western American History at the University of Tulsa and is the past President of the Western History Association. A specialist in the history of the exploration of the American West, he is the author of many books, essays, and presentations at scholarly conferences. Professor Ronda’s books include: Lewis and Clark Among the Indians 1984; Astoria and Empire 1990; Revealing America: Image and Imagination in the Exploration of North America 1996; From Conquest to Conservation: Thomas Jefferson and the changing West 1997; Voyages of Discovery: Essays on the Lewis and Clark Expedition 1998; Jefferson’s West: A Journey with Lewis and Clark 2000; Finding the West: Explorations with Lewis and Clark 2001 and Lewis and Clark Among the Indians 2002. In addition to an active research and writing career, Professor Ronda has been a consultant for many museum projects including the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at Great Falls, Montana; the Washington State Historical Society’s "The Army Explores the West" exhibition; the Library of Congress Lewis and Clark Exploration exhibition; and as a member of the Board of Advisors, for the National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Exhibition. Professor Ronda has been a consultant and on-camera commentator for a number of television documentaries including those made by PBS, Disney-Discovery; Arts and Entertainment Channel, C-SPAN, the British Broadcasting Corporation, and the Oklahoma Public Broadcasting Service. Professor Ronda has recently been named to the Advisory Committee of the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello.  


The DeGolyer Library is located at 6404 Hilltop Lane at McFarlin Boulevard in the heart of SMU campus.

For directions to SMU and sites frequently used for Clements Center events, click here.  For visitor parking information, click here.