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ľ¹ÏÓ°Ôº celebrates 30th anniversary of I&M Canal with Gerald W. Adelmann

Gerald W. Adelmann

As part of the Gaylord Building’s Discovery Dinner series, Gerald W. Adelmann, president and CEO of Openlands, will speak March 26 about the national movement to designate national heritage areas. Adelmann worked to make the I & M Canal National Heritage Corridor the first national heritage area.

Dr. Dennis Cremin, professor of history and director of the ľ¹ÏÓ°Ôº History Center, will give a brief gallery talk at 6:30 p.m. with dinner being served at 7 p.m., followed by Adelmann’s presentation. Participation fee is $25. Reservations are required. The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Gaylord Building is located at 200 W. 8th Street, Lockport, Ill. Contact info@gaylordbuilding.org or 815-838-9400 for more information on the event or to make a dinner reservation.

Cremin added, “Jerry is an international leader in preservation and environmental issues. He is a sixth generation resident of Lockport and has been involved in projects that have led to Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve. This event offers a rare chance to hear him speak right in his hometown.”

Before or after the presentation, visitors can view the current exhibit “Visions of the I & M Canal National Heritage Corridor at 30.” The exhibit utilizes rarely displayed images that demonstrate the scope of the nation’s first National Heritage Corridor, which stretches 96 miles from Chicago to LaSalle, Ill.

“The exhibit attempts to capture in one room key aspects of the 96-mile long corridor that stretches from Chicago to LaSalle,“ said Laura Pratt, graduate assistant in the History Center. “This is a great opportunity to hear Jerry, who coordinated the heritage corridor idea that has been the model for over 50 National Heritage areas, with more on the way.”

The “Lockport on View: Canal Community” exhibit is also available for viewing. The exhibit features historical H.H. Carter photographs of a preserved canal community in the United States. Carter’s early 20th century images provide keen insight into the community. Other images from the ľ¹ÏÓ°Ôº’s Adelmann Regional History Collection are included.

Both exhibits are a partnership between ľ¹ÏÓ°Ôº’s History Center and the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Gaylord Building site. They are open through May 20.

ľ¹ÏÓ°Ôº is a Catholic university in the Lasallian tradition offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 6,700 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, globally connected, and socially responsible graduates. The seventh largest private not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Visit for further information.