Just in time for Halloween and as a part of Pittsburg State’s Homecoming week, the Axe Library is hosting the annual Gene DeGruson Memorial Lecture on Thursday, October 27, at 7 pm. This year the topic is a mixture of fact and fiction with “The Bender Family Crimes: 150 Years Later.”

Join four panelists who have devoted an extraordinary amount of time and resources to learn more about the Benders who resided in Labette County, Kansas, in the early 1870s before they moved on and where never to be heard from again.

The panelists include Max McCoy, historian and professor at Emporia State University; Carol Staton and Mike Wood, curators at the Cherryvale Museum (which houses some Bender family artifacts); and Bob Miller, the current owner of the Bender property. Funding and support for this program is provided by Humanities Kansas. In addition to paneling the event, the special guests will also take questions about the Benders from guests.

This event is free (no RSVP required) and open to the public. It starts at 7 pm on Thursday, October 27, in the basement of the Axe Library. A reception will follow the panel discussion.