Greenwich Historical Society and Alliance Française to Present American Women Rebuilding France, Lecture by Elaine Uzan Leary

On November 18, Elaine Uzan Leary will present a program at the Greenwich Historical Society based on the travelling exhibition, "American Women Rebuilding France 1917-1924." Her talk will focus on the role Anne Morgan (youngest daughter of financier J.P. Morgan) played in rebuilding war-torn Picardie, France, through her establishment of CARD (Comité Américain pour les Régions Dévastées). At the time of CARD's creation, the region was utterly devastated after years of continuous conflict. Food, shelter and basic medical services were almost nonexistent. With Morgan as the catalyst, by 1923, over 350 American women had responded and had left their homes to come to the aid of the French in their country's reconstruction. Leary will share original photographs of the era from the Anne Morgan archives of the Franco-American Museum, Chateau of Blérancourt in Picardy, France, many commissioned by Morgan herself, who was a consummate communicator.

Elaine Vivian L'Heureux is a true Francophile. She was born in Auburn, Maine, of a Franco-American family and educated in a bilingual community. She graduated from Stetson University, Université de Strasbourg, France; Middlebury College Graduate School; the Chambre de Commerce in Paris; and Emerson College Graduate Studies in Boston. She co-founded and taught at the school of the Alliance Française and co-founded and served as lead actress for the Theatre Compagnie Bernard Uzan in Boston. Leary is currently executive director of the American Friends of Blérancourt, which supports the Franco-American Museum, Chateau de Blérancourt in Picardie, France.

Leary's lecture is cosponsored by the Greenwich Historical Society and Alliance Française and is being held in conjunction with the Historical Society's current exhibition Greenwich Faces The Great War (at the Storehouse Gallery). The exhibition features images, artifacts and documents that illustrate the diverse experiences of Greenwich's military personnel, volunteers and civilians before and during WWI. Exhibition hours are Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 4:00 pm. For more information, visit www.greenwichhistory.org.

• November 18, 2014
• 1:00 to 2:00 pm followed by a short Q&A session
• Greenwich Historical Society, Vanderbilt Education Center
• 39 Strickland Road, Cos Cob, CT 06807
• Members: $10; nonmembers: $15.

Buy advance tickets at www.greenwichhistory.org or call 203-869-6899, Ext. 10. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.