Image abover: "Queen and King of Belgium at Isleta, New Mexico," Los Lunas Museum of Heritage and Arts,
https://econtent.unm.edu/digital/collection/loslunas/id/223/rec/
Salon El Zaguán
Thomas Shumaker on King Albert I in New Mexico
Thursday, October 17, 3pm
Historic Santa Fe Foundation (HSFF) is pleased to host a talk Thomas E. Shumaker, PhD., M.Div., and Grants Administrator for the New Mexico Historical Records Advisory Board on Belgain's King Albert I's visit to New Mexico in 1918 and the royal's peace proposal following WWI. The lecture will be held at HSFF’s El Zaguán, 545 Canyon Road, on Thursday, October 17, 2019 at 3pm. There is no charge for HSFF members and a $10 drop-in rate for non-members.
ABOUT THE TALK:
World War I’s long shadow reached even to New Mexico. Many soldiers left the peaceful world they knew here and went to the trenches on the Western Front in France and Belgium—many did not return. For New Mexico, as for the wider world, the armistice of November 1918 left an important question: the war being won by the victorious Allies, how now were they to win the peace? There were various proposals put forward by scholars, diplomats, and politicians. One particular proposal—a wise and balanced approached—was put forth by the king of the Belgians, Albert I. As part of post-war good-will tour, Albert and his Queen, Elizabeth, traveled the world, sharing their vision of a peaceful and prosperous future. He traveled, as part of this tour, to New Mexico with stops in Albuquerque and Isleta where he was welcomed by the dignitaries of our state and the representatives of Isleta Pueblo.
This presentation will focus on discovering who Albert I was, the world he came from, and the world he discovered upon reaching New Mexico. It will also discuss his visit to New Mexico, especially his visit to Isleta Pueblo. Lastly, the presentation will discuss Albert’s proposal for peace and how that was, ultimately, rejected.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, where his family has a long heritage amongst the Pennsylvania Germans, Dr. Thomas Shumaker also has a deep personal history with New Mexico. Having first come here at the age of five, the spell of New Mexico worked its magic and Dr. Shumaker has loved it here ever since. Thomas graduated from Ohio University with a BA in History/Pre-Theology in 1999, and went on to earn a Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Theological Seminary, in 2004. He earned his PhD in early modern European and Islamic/Ottoman history at the University of New Mexico (UNM) in 2017 and has worked at the Office of the New Mexico State Historian (OSH) since 2015. His work at OSH has been multifaceted, focusing primarily on the administration of grants for the New Mexico Historical Records Advisory Board (NMHRAB), historical research, and archival work. This program, an affiliate of the National Archives in Washington, D.C., receives money from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) and re-grants the money to worthy archival projects across the state. Dr. Shumaker enjoys working with the diverse population of New Mexico.