The Chenango County Historical Society’s third annual “National Author’s Day” celebration will begin Nov. 1 with the book launch of “Kinship: Stories of Norwich High School, the Draft, and War” by author and historian Edward J. “Ed” Erickson.
According to a news release from the society, the non-fiction anthology is about the Norwich Senior High School Class of 1968; its parents, teachers and mentors; and the 25 class members who served in the U.S. armed forces. It is also a story about how residents of Norwich and Chenango County dealt with military service and Selective Service (or “the draft”) from 1940 to 1973.
“In anthropology, kinship is the web of social relationships that form an important part of the lives of all humans in all societies, although its exact meanings even within this discipline are often debated,” Erickson said. “Every person in this narrative is connected in some way to the Norwich Class of 1968. Military service and ‘the draft’ exerted an ever present and pervasive presence in American society from World War II through the end of the Vietnam War.”
According to the release, Erickson, a veteran of Desert Storm, Bosnia and Iraqi Freedom, asserts that the Norwich Senior High School Class of 1968 “was at the epicenter of a generational intersection of shared experiences revolving around “the Draft” and war.” Depending on the availability of sources, many narratives shared are extensive, but some are very brief. All are connected to Erickson’s graduating high school class. The book recounts the military experiences of 177 World War II and Korean War veterans, and the 25 veterans of the Norwich Senior High School Class of 1968.
The Chenango County Historical Society will begin selling books at the full cover price that day.
Sponsored by Clear Path for Veterans, the “Kinship” book launch will be held from noon to 1 p.m. at the SUNY Morrisville Norwich Campus at 20 Conkey Ave. in Norwich, with complimentary lunch provided. Erickson will offer brief remarks and be available to sign copies.
National Author’s Day is a free community celebration sponsored by the SUNY Morrisville Human Services Institute in collaboration with CCHS. In addition to the book launch, festivities will feature four guest author presentations and an evening reception to honor writers of the annual CCHS Journal.
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