The University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Mass Communication has created seven new podcasts as part of an effort to preserve the history of life in Arkansas during World War I.

In 2016, the School of Mass Communication partnered with the Arkansas World War I Centennial Commission to create the podcasts to celebrate the upcoming 100th anniversary of the war.

UA Little Rock’s contribution is led by Senior Instructor David Weekley. One of his students, Carly Garner, first produced 13 podcasts during the fall 2016 semester. The initial podcasts covered topics as diverse as the role of Arkansas women during the war, a picric acid plant in Little Rock, the influence of World War I on the Elaine Massacre, and the story of one Arkansas soldier during the war.

This semester, Eric Holsomback, a senior mass communication major from Alexander, produced the seven podcasts. The project is expected to continue through fall 2018, with new podcasts being produced every semester.

“This new group of podcasts explores such topics as resistance to the draft, creation of training facilities, WWI pilots and Arkansas forestry professionals who served in the war, including a personal story from State Forester Joe Fox, whose grandfather had an interesting historical link to the men with whom he fought,” said Mark Christ, community outreach director for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.

The seven new podcasts include:

• Dr. Blake Perkins of Williams Baptist College detailing resistance to the draft in Arkansas during World War I
• David Sesser of Henderson State University recalling efforts to build an Arkansas infrastructure to train soldiers during World War I
• Joe Fox of the Arkansas Forestry Commission speaks about his grandfather, who served as a doughboy (an informal term for a member of the U.S. Army or Marine Corps, especially used to refer to members of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I)
• Don C. Bragg of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service speaks about the role of the fighting foresters of the 20th Engineers Regiment
• Mark K. Christ of the Arkansas WWI Centennial Commemoration Committee talks about a pair of pioneering airmen with Arkansas connections.

For more information, visit the Arkansas World War I Centennial Commemoration Committee’s podcast page.